The customary practice of giving engagement rings began in prehistoric times when cavemen tied ropes around their partner’s waist, ankles, and wrists to take control of their spirit. Some remains of ancient Egyptians wearing a silver or gold ring on the middle finger of the left hand were also found. The third finger was believed to be directly connected to the heart.

In the 1st century BC. C., the sultans and sheikhs of Asia used puzzle rings to label each wife they had. The use of the reed ring at weddings began when a Bishop of Salisbury ended the practice of using it to seduce women into a sham marriage. He stated that snap rings will be used to legally bind marriages.

The first use of diamond engagement rings dates back to 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a ring with diamond pieces in the shape of an M to Mary of Burgundy during a marriage proposal. Since then, wealthy people made it a practice.

In the 1700s, Europe popularized giving “poetry rings” made of silver and engraved with detailed sayings. While Puritans across the Atlantic Ocean used thimbles instead of rings to propose. Later many of the Puritans cut off the tops of the thimbles and made them into rings.

The beginning of the huge supply of diamonds began with the discovery of the Cape Colony in South Africa. In 1880, Cecil Rhodes, along with other mining investors, opened the DeBeers Mining Company, which ten years later controlled ninety percent of the world’s diamond production.

The design of today’s engagement rings was inspired by the “Tiffany setting.” In 1886, Tiffany & Co introduced the “Tiffany setting” as a six-pronged ring with a diamond raised from the band to maximize the gem’s brilliance. In the 1890s, Sears & Roebuck and other mail-order catalogs first introduced affordable diamond wedding rings and engagement rings.

In Roman times, rituals required only the blessing of the bride’s ring. Until a Catholic priest asked The American Ecclesiastical Review in 1944 if he could marry a couple in a “double ring.” The query received a positive response, so the beginning of the rings of the bride and groom.

Over time, along with its popularity, the diamond industry has been associated with an increase in human rights violations. The World Diamond Council developed a system in 2000 to stop the use of diamonds in human exploitation.

Today, diamond engagement rings are still in fashion. According to a 2002 study, more than a third of couples who buy diamond engagement rings spend at least two months of their salary.