Crafted of delicate gold latticework and inset with two carved blue gems, this betrothal ring dates to the late third or fourth century A.D. Christians in the late Roman empire, like their pagan ancestors, used rings to symbolize the betrothal of a future husband and wife, rather than the marriage itself. A man would present a ring to his fiancée, who would then place it on the third finger of her left hand (which was believed to be directly connected to the heart by a special vein). This intricate ring—said to have been found in France—is surprisingly small, measuring […]
