Royal Rings - all types

[LadyM]

I love Letizia's engagement ring, although I do think it looks more like a weddng band than an engagement ring.

Yes, most of the US engagement rings are diamonds. Usually, it is hard to find a decent engagement ring of quality with another stone. Plus, not everyone will recognize it as an engagement ring either.

I got engaged in May and my engagement ring has three stones. The center stone is an emerald - my birthstone. On either side of the emerald are triangular shaped diamonds. Most people are surprised that it is my engagement ring, but finding it wasn't difficult :)

[Little_star]

I love Letizia's ring, I really like the cut of Mary's and the actual size of the stones although I'm not a fan of rubies so I'd probably have sapphires or amethysts instead. I also really like Camilla's, Marie-Chantal's, Maxima's, Princess Sarah of Brunei's and Farah Daghestani's.

[HRHAmy]

Originally Posted by Maxie

Yay, I found a picture of Aimee's engagement ring.

I do not like this ring at all, seems really old fashioned, I can't see the diamond in the middle at all and it looks tarnished around the smaller diamonds on the outter circle, it's just not attractive to me. It looks like Lady Sarah Chatto's which I don't like either. But I guess if Aimee like it that's all that matters!:)

[Lisele]

Hello everyone,

I've been away for a bit (still trying to organize the house and schedules and all that good stuff) and I've been reading and trying to catch up on everything I've missed... and boy have I missed a lot :)

Anyway, as I was looking thru the new pictures, I realized that some people wear their Engagement and Wedding rings on the right hand as opposed to the custom here in North America of wearing them on the left.

Would anyone know which countries have this tradition of wearing the rings on the right hand? I know I've looked at CP Letizia's hands and sometimes I see her rings on the right and sometimes on the left - or could this be the photograph being reversed or something? Also, why the right hand? I've always been told it had to be left since the "Vena Amore" is on the ring finger of your left hand that leads directly to your heart. Anyway, it would be very cool to know.

Thanks and have a great day everyone!!!

~Lis

[norwegianne]

The custom in Norway seems to vary a bit - Wedding ring is traditionally on the right hand, and some also have the engagement rings there.

But there are also those who have engagement rings on left hand, because it is closer to the heart, and then switch. Of course, with the international times we live in it seems that it really might be more and more having them all on the left hand.

The right hand thing for wedding rings is that, while the left hand symbolizes love, the right hand is thought to symbolize fidelity. I think I've read somewhere.

[suPeRgiRL!]

Chinese people wear it on their right, and so does Indonesian people.. Internationally, people wear it on their left..

Here's some info:

Why in the Orthodox tradition do we wear the wedding ring on the right hand?

It has always been the tradition of the Church to place the wedding ring on the right hand of the couple based on biblical references. This is seen very clearly in one of the prayers in the Betrothal Service, but we don’t hear it in the Antiochian Archdiocese because of the abbreviated service that we use. A portion of the prayer refers to the biblical references: “For You, O Lord, have declared that a pledge is to be given and held inviolate in all things. By a ring Joseph was given might in Egypt; by a ring Daniel was exalted in Babylon; by a ring our heavenly Father showed compassion upon His prodigal son, for He said, ‘Put a ring upon his right hand, kill the fatted calf, and let us eat and rejoice.’ Your own right hand, O Lord, armed Moses in the Red Sea. By word of Your truth were the Heavens established and the earth set upon her sure foundations; and the right hands of Your servants shall be blessed by Your mighty word, and by Your uplifted arm.” As we see, it was scripturally the practice to wear rings on the right hand, the hand of authority and power completing the pledge of commitment. The power and authority comes from the right hand of God.

The practice of wearing rings on the left hand is rooted in superstition that says that there is a vein that goes from the left hand directly to the heart. This medieval superstition, like many others, was brought to America from Western Europe no doubt. Unfortunately, too many people today just follow what the majority in society do without truly understanding its meaning. Hopefully, with education and faith we will maintain the richness and meaningfulness of the Orthodox faith.

[Lisele]

Thanks for that bit of information Norwegianne and Supergirl!!!! I learned something new today. I have friends who travel a lot ot Europe and I noticed that the girls wore another "set" of engagement and wedding rings on their right hands and asked about it. They said that if saves them the hassle of transferring their rings from left to right and right to left depending on which country they're in. I think I'll go pull out my moms rings and start wearing them on my right hand from now on too.

[princeofpeace]

Does it really matter? In some countries, they do not wear ring at all but in other countries, they have two... one for engagement and one for wedding.

[qui mal y pense]

I have noted that many pictures are published "backwards". in some magazines the person will be facing one way and in another publication they will be facing the opposite way. This would explain why rings would be on the right hand. This happened often with Princess Diana, where it was obviously the same picture.

[marezdote]

Originally Posted by Lisele

I know I've looked at CP Letizia's hands and sometimes I see her rings on the right and sometimes on the left - or could this be the photograph being reversed or something?
~Lis

I'm pretty sure that Letizia wears her engagement ring on her left hand and on her right hand wears her wedding band and another ring that was a gift from Felipe.

[soCal girl]

I think I read that Mary and Frederick adopted the Australian tradition of wearing the engagement/wedding rings on the left hand instead of the Danish tradition of wearing them on the right.

[JessRulz]

Originally Posted by soCal girl

I think I read that Mary and Frederick adopted the Australian tradition of wearing the engagement/wedding rings on the left hand instead of the Danish tradition of wearing them on the right.

You're right soCal_girl, Mary & Frederik were their wedding/engagement rings on their left hand (like in Australia, England, the US) instead of the right hand (like in Denmark, most of Europe and Asia)

[adelaide]

In reality, the custom of left or right hand to wear the engagement and the wedding rings is variable. For instance, in France, catholic country the wedding ring is wore on the left hand since the XVIth century, whereas in Spain, except Catalugna, also catholic country the wedding ring is wore on the right hand. I don't know the spanish custom for the engagement ring, but very often the engagement ring is wearing on the same finger than the wedding ring, presicely on the ring-finger.

In the Orthodoxe religion the wedding ring is wore onthe right hand.

[PrincessofEurope]

I love mary's engagement ring the rubies are beautiful.

[MoonlightRhapsody]

I'm liking Aimee's engagement ring. It looks like something that would become a family heirloom that she can pass on to her children.It looks like a colored diamond, not just a plain clear one. As much as I dislike Clotilde, I like her engagement ring the best.

Letizia's ring...hmm...I don't like it as an engagement ring. It looks more like an eternity band or a wedding ring, but not an engagement ring. Same goes for Cristina's. I hear that Felipe went shopping with his brother-in-law Inaki, that might have had an influence in the design of the ring.

[Rose1991]

Letizia's ring is very unique for an engagement ring, my mum's eternity ring is very similar, i really like the ring. It suits her personality, it is very clean and simple.

[HenrikaB]

Does anyone besides me think the diamond engagement ring of the late Iranian Princess Soraya is/was just a little too ostentatious?

[libra65]

Originally Posted by HenrikaB

Does anyone besides me think the diamond engagement ring of the late Iranian Princess Soraya is/was just a little too ostentatious?

A little??? I think there is such a thing as too much. This ring is waaaaaay too much.

[HRH Kerry]

Originally Posted by love36

Is this the largest in carat size of all the royals?

This definitely the largest I've heard of throughout the royals.

[seto]

Letizias ring is an eternity band.