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Engagement rings form an important part in most of the weddings that take place across the world. Two of the oldest Abrahamic religions of the world, Christianity and Judaism attach great importance to wearing of these rings.
The engagement rings are the most popular of all the betrothal tokens that can be found in a traditional Jewish wedding. The exchange of engagement rings gained importance during the period of the Renaissance. During those days, the would be brides and the grooms would exchange engagement rings as evidences of commitment and loyalty to one another for the rest of their lives.
These engagement rings used to contain complex and intricate designs. These designs reflected the power, position and the wealth of the families of the grooms and the brides. These complicated designs would render those rings unfit for regular usage.
Previously the Jewish engagement rings would contain intricate designs like that of a synagogue or a temple. These designs would make the engagement rings heavy and unsuitable for using on a daily basis.
This problem has led to the designing of modern rings with sleek designs. The modern day Jewish brides rather want to wear the rings all throughout their lives. This has further facilitated the need for modern, trendy designs.
A modern day engagement ring is usually a diamond engagement ring that contains may be one, two or three diamonds embedded into a golden ring. Those having a more modern approach generally prefer platinum rings studded with a diamond. These diamonds are given various cuts in order to increase their luminosity. An individual can choose from the various cuts available in the market viz. the Ashoka cut, the cushion cut, the Amorillion cut etc.
Designs such as inscriptions are quite popular among the followers of Judaism, when it comes to engagement rings. Generally these inscriptions are done in Hebrew or in English. The inscriptions contain the names of the would-be brides or grooms and the date of their marriage. Those looking for a more romantic wedding can opt for the Ani L'Dodi rings. These Hebrew engagement rings are available in gold, sterling silver and in platinum.
The inscriptions on these rings read “ani ledodi vedodi li”. In English the translation stands for “I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine”. Since the launch of the Ani L’Dodi rings, these rings have become extremely popular among the Jews.
The Jewish engagement rings become a part of the family heirloom and may pass on to the successive generations. Therefore it is very important to take care of these rings. These rings must be cleaned on a regular basis to make sure they do not lose their shine and glitz even after repeated usage. The designs on these rings also make sure that the Jews never forget about their rich cultural heritage and their past.