What are Eternity Rings

So you would like to give your partner something that really shows how much you appreciate them, you’ve heard about eternity rings but aren’t sure what they are all about. Here are some answers to those niggling questions for you!

Eternity rings are a relatively modern part of the jewellery industry and are known in addition to wedding rings and engagement rings as ‘rite of passage rings’. Wedding rings for example originated in ancient Egypt and have been popular ever since, whereas eternity rings only emerged in the 1960s! They actually emerged from a campaign by the diamond merchant De Beers which aimed to sell the concept with popular slogans such as ‘She married you richer or poorer. Let her know how it’s going’.

Today eternity rings are usually purchased after marriage, to commemorate a special occasion such as a wedding anniversary or birth of a child. But, they can however be given as a symbol of lasting devotion between partners. Of course if you are hoping to celebrate a special occasion with this gift you could choose to have a design which reflects this. To celebrate the birth of a child for instance you could have their birth stones set into the eternity ring. Or if you are celebrating an anniversary you could choose to have a design made using the appropriate anniversary gift item e.g. for a 40th anniversary you could choose to have the band set with rubies, or for a 50th anniversary you could choose to have your gemstones set into a gold band.

Traditionally these rings consisted of a simple ring with a channel of diamonds set around the band. However today the eternity ring has evolved and developed to accommodate all of your partner’s tastes. They are now available in a ‘full’ or ‘half’ style, which denotes the area of the band occupied by gemstones. Eternity rings are a wonderfully flexible item in terms of design options and can be a great option if you are considering having a design commissioned.

Traditionally speaking these are worn on the same ring as your wedding ring, however nowadays this has become a fairly flexible concept and they are often seen on the same finger as a ladies engagement ring! Today there are a whole variety of choices you need to consider before purchasing an eternity ring such as;

Which gemstones would I like in my ring? How would I like the stones set? What type of metal would I like my eternity ring to be? Would I like the ring to be engraved? Do I want my ring to match the style of my engagement and wedding ring? What type of eternity ring would I like?

These are all important questions to consider before making a purchase. Just remember if you are at a loss when choosing that extra special way to say how much you still adore them, you could always seek the help of a jewellery design company.