Wedding ring
The ring finger is widely claimed to be associated with the traditional belief known as vena amoris ("vein of love").
The Western traditions of wedding rings can be traced to ancient Rome and Greece, and were first associated with the marital dowry and later with a promise of fidelity.
The modern exchange of rings derived from the customs of Europe in the Middle Ages as part of Christendom.
The fede ring, being a band consisting of two hands clasped in betrothal, is another historical custom of Europe that ostensibly dates from antiquity.
[citation needed] In 1942 during the Second World War, British wartime restrictions on the manufacture of jewelry resulted in "utility" wedding rings that were limited to a maximum mass of two pennyweights, being slightly heavier than 3 grams (0.11 oz), and were forged of 9 carat gold rather than the traditional 22 carat.
[5] The Regional Assayer Office hallmarked these rings, which guaranteed their gold content and compliance with the wartime regulations with a special utility mark adjacent to the mark for the year on the inside of the band; the hallmark resembled a capital "U" with the bottom curve absent or two parentheses enclosing a space, i. e., "()".
[6] At the nuptials, a wedding ring is placed on the right hand, as in several east European nations, including Bulgaria, Poland, and Russia.
[8] In both the United States and Canada, wedding rings were initially only worn by wives, but became customary for both spouses during the 20th century.
In Western nations, wedding rings are often forged of gold, palladium, platinum, argentium silver, titanium, tungsten, or more recently, silicone.
According to the 1549 edition of the Book of Common Prayer: after the words "with this ring I thee wed" follow the words "This gold and silver I give thee", at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride.
By wearing rings on their fourth fingers, married spouses symbolically declare their life-long love for and fidelity to each other.
This symbol has public utility and is presently expected as a matter of tradition and etiquette, so much so that its absence is often interpreted as meaning that the person is single.
In eastern India, primarily in West Bengal, women wear an iron bangle, which may be gold- or silver-plated, called a loha.
[26] "A Service of Christian Marriage, Rite I" contained in The United Methodist Book of Worship states that the exchange of rings is optional but when it is done, they are blessed and pronounced as "the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace, signifying to us the union between Jesus Christ and His Church".
"[27] Some conservative Mennonite groups do not wear jewelry, including wedding rings, as part of their practice of plain dress.
