No matter the religion, culture or the race of a people the wedding band has become a sign of commitment to the union of two people. It is believed that the wearing of a wedding ring can be traced back to the times of the ancient Egyptians but then it was more likely worn on the thumb than on the finger now used. When this changed and the ring was moved to the fourth finger it was because of the belief that the veins of this finger lead directly to the heart. This was eventually proven wrong by the world of science yet it remains a nice sentiment. Because of this it was decided that this was the right place for the wedding ring. Interestingly during the wedding ceremony Jewish women often have the band put on their index finger because that is the finger they must use when reading the Torah. Ancient Romans put bands on the fingers of their women to show ownership not romance.
In the later eight hundreds the Christians began to use the wedding rings in their ceremonies while it is known from biblical times that the Jews already had embraced this idea. At first the wedding band was made from twigs, hemp or other plant parts. Of course these plant rings did not last very long and were repeatedly replaced by new ones. The wedding band went from being made of plant matter to being made of many other materials. What your band was made of often reflected the social and monetary status of the groom. Previously they were made of leather and various metals including aluminum. It is now common for them to be made of white or yellow gold, silver or platinum.
The gypsies also embraced rings but for them it was a show of where the couple stood in their community. If the band was thicker, weighing more, it showed that the couple was of higher standing. Some men in the Middle East felt that their brides could not be trusted if they should need to be away even for a few days. So the wedding band that was given to them was a puzzle band. If the bride should want to take it off at any time the puzzle would fall apart and the ring would not be able to be put back on unless she was able to solve the puzzle. This way he would be certain she could not remove her wedding band to try and appear to be a single woman.
Men still do not always wear a wedding band when they get married. But, before the 1940s it was quite uncommon for men to wear a ring once they had married. No more than fifteen percent wore them. The tradition only began to be popular after certain global events. Once the Second World War was being fought sixty percent of men began to wear rings and after the Korean War that rose to over seventy percent. Nowadays it is very common for the bride to place a ring on the finger of the groom right after he has put the band on her finger.
