Artistic Diamond Rings and Other Creations

It was in the days of the Roman Empire around two thousand years ago that the first engagement rings were presented to formalise a betrothal. They called it a truth ring because it signified that the promise made of a future marriage would be fulfilled. They were also the first to engrave a sentimental message on the ring to solidify that vow and make the words permanent and unchangeable. They wore the ring on the third finger of the left hand just as we do today, a tradition they borrowed from the Egyptians who believed that the location was directly connected to the heart. In the 11th century the descendants of the Romans in Venice began to make beautiful masks as part of a carnival that was held there each year. Diamond rings have emerged as the modern day evolution of those rings and beautifully crafted Venetian masks have returned from obscurity with them.

These masks make colourful and exciting wall decorations for any home or office and are available online in a vast array of styles and hues. It was supposedly the Archduke Maximilian of Austria who, in the late 1400's gave the first engagement ring encrusted with diamonds to his intended bride, Mary of Burgundy. It was around the same time that the Commedia dell'arte, a popular form of improvisational theatre, was flourishing in Venice and this further increased the development of Venetian masks as they were used to present all characters in the plays. The diamond rings we see most often today were the innovation of Tiffany's Jewellers in New York who formalised the idea of a single solitary diamond on a plain band as the standard. At that time the only choice for most people was a white stone but today there is a much wider selection because coloured diamonds can now be manufacturing synthetically. They do this by using a process invented in the 1950's which utilises equivalent high pressures and temperatures to those that form diamonds in nature.

The resulting stones are indistinguishable except that the synthetics are created in a very short time compared to the millions of years that it takes naturally. Hand made Venetian masks take quite a while to make since they are intricately painted with designs representing the most famous characters from the 15th century plays. All diamond rings are also hand made by expert craftsmen who cut and polish the stones to perfection producing the greatest brilliance and scintillation. Brilliance is the amount of light reflected from the outer and inner faces of the stone and scintillation is the quantity of light that flashes when the stone or a nearby light source are moved. These two characteristics can be enhanced by the placement of additional smaller stones on either side of the primary one. More and more often these are emeralds, rubies or sapphires depending on the personal tastes of the woman wearing it. They can also be smaller diamonds to add even more fire to the ring.