The History of Diamond Engagement Rings in Europe

We have a long list of beautiful and inspired enhancements to our lives that originated in Europe hundreds of years ago. One of these is the Venetian masks which originated in the 11th century for the famous carnival of the time which then flowered into the Commedia dell'Arte in the 15th century. These colourful masks are still available online for collectors or interior designers and lend an air of gaiety to any room. The tradition of giving a ring encrusted with precious gems to a fiancé also began in the Middle Ages when in 1477 Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a pair of gold rings set with rough unpolished diamonds to his beloved, Mary of Burgundy. This was probably the first documented occasion when diamonds were used for a betrothal. In the 1400's as well, a Flemish gemmologist cut the first pearl shaped diamond which was facilitated by the integration of his two unique inventions, i.e., an original design of polishing wheel and his method for perfect facet alignment.

These allowed for the maximum amount of refraction and reflection to be radiated from this particular cut which is also called tear drop. When he first presented this unusual innovation to the local jewellers, it was rejected as it wasted a good deal of the raw stone in the process. But the general population loved the stones because of their higher scintillation and fire, more than fifty percent that of a round cut most widely found in diamond engagement rings. This kind of enthusiasm was also seen with the hand crafted Venetian masks that graced innumerable formal celebrations in Italy and then all over Europe as their unique beauty could create an ambiance all their own. Made first from a clay base over which is pressed papier mache, the masks can imitate any animal or mythological character the designer desires. The hand painting is most often done in brilliant colours and the use of gold leaf is widespread for a most elegant presentation. It is most widely accepted to set tear drop cut stones in a solitaire setting to emphasise the unusual shape, laying perpendicular to the band in prong or Tiffany settings.

In the 17th century, French King Louis XIV commanded the royal jeweller to create a diamond that would exactly replicate the smile of the woman he loved, the Marquise de Pompadour. This led to the origination of the marquis cut diamond whose elongated shape lends the fingers a slimmer, more graceful appearance and its formation can give the gem the manifestation of being larger than it actually is. It was also this French monarch who bought the Hope Diamond, the most famous blue diamond which weighs over 45 carats. It supposedly came from an Indian mine and was first called the French Blue. There are many tales of a curse that surrounds the stone starting with its disappearance after the beheadings of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. It is now kept at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC USA.