Band Together
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an age-old symbol of forever Text by Nancy S. Moseley
Neanderthals used twigs and bits of grass, usually secured around the ankle. The Egyptians used bone, leather, ivory and sometimes hemp. Early Romans used iron. Colonial Americans, believing jewelry to be trivial, used thimbles. When the wife was finished using the thimble to sew linens for the couple’s new home, the top was sawed off to create a ring. No matter the material, from the earliest iterations to today, the wedding ring is viewed as a contract of sorts, signifying love, loyalty and even friendship. The fact that a ring, or something of circular shape, was chosen to represent a conjugal covenant is not incidental. According to symboldictionary. net, the circle “has no beginning or end, 16
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and no divisions, making it the perfect symbol of completeness, eternity and the soul. The circle symbolism most familiar to us is that of the wedding ring, which symbolizes not just a pledge of eternal love, but the enclosure of the heart – a pledge of fidelity.” The ancient Egyptians wore their wedding rings on the left hand’s fourth finger because they believed in the “vena amoris,” or the vein of love, which runs directly from the heart to this finger. No such vein exists, but the tradition of wearing wedding bands on the “ring finger” continues today. Wedding rings are typically made out of select “noble metals,” or, elements that exhibit outstanding resistance to adverse chemical and temperature forces. This strength can
be associated with the durability and permanence of marriage. In order of most expensive to least expensive: Platinum is among the strongest, white in color and resistant to oxidation and corrosion. Palladium is up next, related to platinum in strength, never tarnishes and is naturally white in color. It’s also hypoallergenic. Both yellow gold and white gold are leading ring metals for their traditional look and durability. Tungsten is 10x harder than 18K gold, and you can choose between gray, platinum white or black. Titanium is extremely durable and long-lasting which makes it hard to resize or repair if needed. Silver has a high conductivity to heat and electricity and is easily engraved. Austin Capone of Capone’s
January/February 2021
