The Solitaire Diamond Ring: A History

Contrary to some assertions that the concept was invented for DeBeers in the twentieth century, diamonds have long been associated with eternal love.  It is also true that for centuries, when set to a finger ring—a band of metal with no beginning and no end, affording the same symbolism—the solitaire diamond ring has been the quintessential marital jewel. 

Though rings set with a single, precious diamond have been worn since Ancient Roman times, their use in courtship most likely dates to fifteenth century.  The earliest examples were most often set with a single uncut diamond, as diamonds are so difficult to cut in comparison with other gems, a property which is central to their link with unyielding fidelity.  Next in the evolution came diamond rings set with a single point cut—the natural octahedral form of a diamond, only cleaved in half, to form a four sided pyramid.  A solitaire ring bearing such a stone is depicted in a miniature painting dating from 1475, alongside Hymen, the god of marriage, and a poem (translated from the Italian): ‘Two torches in one ring of burning fire/Two wills, two hearts, two passions/Are bonded in marriage by a diamond’. Two years later there is written record of a diamond betrothal ring given by the Archduke Maximilian to Mary of Burgundy in 1477.  By the sixteenth century, with advancements in diamond cutting technology, step cuts were introduced, which feature in a number of historic solitaire diamond marriage rings;  for example, that given from Henri II of Navarre to Marguerite of Angouleme in 1527, and from Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici to Eleonora of Toledo in 1539, both upon their nuptials.  With time the cutting of additional facets became possible, and diamond solitaire marriage rings appear set with more complex cuts, from rose cuts to brilliant cuts, in any number of shapes including round, oval, square, marquise, pear and heart shaped stones. 

In addition to cut, the manner in which diamonds were set into such rings also varied over time.  During the Renaissance period diamond rings were typically all gold, the stone in closed-back collet setting, and the shoulders and shank often ornamented with carving and enamel.  In the eighteenth century diamonds began to be set in silver topped gold, most often in closed-back cut-down settings--silver used to enhance the whiteness of the diamond--yet still on carved gold shanks.  The Victorian era ushered in an age of sentimentality and whimsy, with some betrothal rings in the form of snakes symbolising eternal love—the metaphor made complete when accompanied by a single diamond.  During the same period diamonds became more readily available due to the discoveries of major deposits in South Africa in the 1860s.  Coupled with advancements in metalsmithing, this influx of diamonds began to be set in more delicate, open claw settings.  This was a form pioneered by the American jeweller Tiffany & Co. who introduced their six ‘prong’ solitaire diamond ring in 1886, now often referred to as the ‘Tiffany setting’, which to this day remains the standard engagement ring. 

Around the turn of the twentieth century, again with new technological advances, platinum was more easily worked, and due to its strength and resistance to tarnish became preferred to silver for diamond setting.  The Edwardian and Art Deco styles, both of which relied heavily on the white metal, made diamond and platinum solitaire rings ubiquitous.  As for design, delicate swirling forms, made possible by platinum, were embraced during the Edwardian period, but was soon replaced by the geometric minimalism of the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 30s. Rationing during the Second World War, however, resulted in little platinum being available to the jewellery trade, resulting in a return to yellow gold settings, in the form of markedly bold, chunky designs.  It was around this time—specifically in 1948—that a young female copywriter working for N.W. Ayer & Sons of Philadelphia came up with the DeBeers slogan ‘A Diamond is Forever’,  further cementing the diamond engagement ring in its role as the quintessential manifestation of enduring marital love.

REFERENCES

Diana Scarisbrick, Rings:  Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty, London:  Thames and Hudson, 2007.

George F. Kunz, Rings for the Finger, Philadelphia:  J.B. Lippencott Company, 1917.