Did you know that the earliest rings were made of braided reeds and hemp? I am sure you didn’t, but now you do! And who, ever decided that the wedding ring should be worn on the fourth finger of the left hand? And why? Well, let’s explore that a bit.
According to this article published in 2018, the first wedding rings can be traced back to the Ancient Egyptians when they exchanged rings made from braided reeds and hemp. They placed these rings on the fourth finger of the left-hand as they believed that there was a ‘vein of love’ that ran from this specific finger directly to your heart. Interesting, right? Similar to today, it was a ‘ring of love’ and was worn to symbolize commitment to each other. The Egyptians also saw the circle as a powerful symbol and the endless circle of a wedding ring is said to show a promise of forever.
This is really the essence of the wedding ring. The emotion, symbol and importance attached to it is that of a forever or endless love. For this reason, it may not be wrong to presume that couples would rather compromise on anything as pertains the wedding budget, but the rings. This really is the physical evidence of the vows made and the public confessions of one’s heart to another. You would agree that the meaning embedded on the wedding ring makes it an important purchase as part of the wedding budget. No couple want to get this wrong.
So what are you looking for and what should you consider when shopping for your wedding rings? How do you it? Here are a few points to consider:
It is important to consider both your personal styles so that you don’t buy something that will not compliment you or not make you happy and proud, being seen wearing. Consider the color and type of metal as you would feel more confident with a ring that is in tune with the daily rhythm of your personal dress code.
Gold, silver, platinum, are some of the commonly used metals for ring making; depending on your personal style, you can choose between these as you carefully consider what will work best for you in the long run.
You know the common saying, “All that glitters is not gold!”? Well, this is true in the literal sense of the words, and you can be duped by greedy hands, if you do not take extra caution as you shop. Take initiative to know the quality and authenticity of the materials i.e., metals involved in the making of the rings. There should be a legit trademark so that you do not suffer surprises in the future. If quality is not considered and or confirmed, you can suffer great loss. Many counterfeit products are in the market, and you certainly do not want to fall victim.
Consider how much money you want to spend on the rings. Allow yourselves time to save for your ideal or dream rings so that you get what you really love. Remember these are with you for a lifetime so do not shy from investing well in it. Only issue is to plan your finances well for this. The rings cannot turn into rent or food once you are married, but it’s a key component or should we say symbol, of your marriage covenant that just needs as much financial attention.
It is absolutely crucial to purchase the rings complete with the cleaning manual. This is to understand that for the kind of metal and stone that you have purchased, what are the best practices for cleaning it/ them so that you preserve the ring’s quality and originality through and through.
Ensure you both get the right fit. Remember this is something you will have almost permanently on your finger, so you want to be sure that it is loose enough to be comfortable, yet tight enough to not just fall through the cracks in the middle of some chores.
Allocate ample time to shop for these rings. Remember you are wearing these rings for a lifetime. Try picture yourself with the same ring after 20 years and test if you will still be loving it! You are better off taking all the time you need to shop for the most suitable set of rings.
Best way to keep your ring safe is to have it on, all the time, unless under very special circumstances that you may need to take it off. In the case that you are having to take it off, then do not put it in the pockets or near the sink, etc. These areas are notorious for washing things, including your rings down the drain!
To personalize your ring, details like the date of your wedding or any other special date will often be added. There is also the provision for adding a special stone to add the beauty or special meaning to it. So be careful to make choices of rings that make provision for the special details that you want added on.
So where can you find wedding rings? We will start by listing dealers in Nairobi and work our way through to the different places you can get what you are looking for at your convenience.