The history of the eternity ring goes back almost four thousand years. Ancient Egyptians are thought to be the first to make and wear eternity rings. Eternity rings are essentially a continuous circle of metal studded with stones either halfway or all the way around. Early eternity rings were meant to symbolize eternal life and love. The unending, unbroken circle of precious metal represents a never-ending circle of trust, or the circle of life. Eternity rings today symbolize an everlasting relationship of love and are commonly used for wedding or anniversary bands. Early eternity rings featured stones that went halfway around the shank of the ring. They also further set their meaning in stone when they were fashioned to look like a snake swallowing its own tail. This snake swallowing its tail eternity ring really helped solidify the meaning of the continuous circle as the eternal symbol of love and life. Eternity rings were originally made with the stones flush mounted. This is where the stones are actually imbedded into the metal. The flush setting makes for a very comfortable wear. If the stones are too large or protrude from the sides too far, then they can be uncomfortable between your fingers.
Modern eternity rings are usually channel set for comfort and larger stones are avoided. Channel set refers to how the stones are encased by the metal only on the edges of the shank. This is not to be confused with claw set where the stones are raised above the shank and held on by prongs. Claw set is almost exclusively used for half eternity rings so that the prongs do not irritate the skin on the surrounding fingers. Modern advances in jewelry crafting have actually made full claw set eternity rings much more comfortable and popular. Channel and claw set eternity rings give a more brilliant shine to the stones used than the flush mount setting, but some still prefer the original embedded stone eternity rings.
The meaning of an eternity ring traditionally is eternal love, but it is really open for individual interpretation. Couples very often come up with their own meanings. Eternity rings are used for wedding bands and vibrantly compliment diamond solitaire engagement rings. They are becoming increasingly popular as anniversary bands or right hand rings. But, you can give an eternity ring for any occasion. The birth of a child is a very appropriate time to give an eternity ring. In this instance, it could symbolize the eternity of your new family or your never-ending love and compassion for your wife who has helped you create this new life. Some like to say that it symbolizes the eternity that it took for the baby to arrive or some other personal meaning to you as a couple. As an anniversary gift, it could symbolize the eternity that you will be together or how it has felt like an eternity being married.
Whatever meaning you come up with, an eternity ring will leave a lasting impression and most definitely become an heirloom and beautiful conversation piece for years to come. The long-lasting reputation and never ending popularity of the eternity ring will ensure that it never goes out of style and is always admired and loved. Showing your love with www.Maliere.com">eternity rings is a long standing tradition and will surely make your special someone feel loved and appreciated.
About the Author: Ian Maher is the CEO of Maliere, a leading provider of www.Maliere.com">diamond rings, www.Maliere.com">eternity rings, platinum rings and gold rings. For more information, please visit www.Maliere.com.
