Have you ever noticed a woman wearing a really wide wedding band? I was just reading that there could be ties to a gypsy ancestry. Apparently the broadness and weight of the gold was very popular in the gypsy culture. The wider and heavier the gold, the more affluent the couple was in their tribe. Hmmm, always thought that having a little gypsy blood could be fun!
The smallest wedding ring is believed to have been made for Princess Mary, daughter of King Henry VIII when she was two years old. Must read up on my British history. So much I don't know I'm ashamed to say!
The origins of the wedding ring can be traced back to Egyptian times and from everything I have ready, the ring has always been worn on the left hand, and second finger. That is a lot of tradition!
If you have any Irish ancestry, and you probably do if you go back far enough, it was thought to be bad luck if the wedding band was not made of gold. My grandmother took the tradition one step further. Every morning, she would look at her ring to see if it was shiny. If the ring was dull, she was sure that it meant that she was going to have a bad day. The shinier the ring was, the better her day would be. Funny thing is I often check out my own band to see what kind of day I will have.
Another reason for the ring to be worn on the left hand of the women of earlier generations was to signify that she was to become the husband's servent henceforth...
If you could find a prayer book in the day of Edward the VI, you would find some interesting words as part of the marriage ceremony. After the words, "with the ring, I thee wed, there were words that followed... "this gold and silver I give thee." At this point, the groom would give the bride a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride. Hmmm, I will have to point this out to my husband. He's British and although a few years have gone by since Edward VI, I still kind of like the tradition!
And did you know that men can wear their wedding band on either hand?? I just ran across that little bit on info a few minutes ago!
**Amazing the kinds of traditions that are still floating around after all of these years.
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