FIRE IN THE EARTH
the ring meant authority, and men (not women) were encouraged to wear it there.
In
some countries the celebration of the engagement was called "hand
fasting." The young man bound the girl fast to himself by placing a
ring on her hand. ... In Bulgaria the suitor gave gold and silver coins
to the maiden; she drilled holes in them, stringing the coins on a
necklace, and this meant she was engaged. ... In Iceland the
bridegroom, by thrusting his hand through a large ring as he took his
bride's hand at the altar, signified that "the heart is warm." ... In
Bohemia the bride gave the groom a silver wedding ring and he gave her
a fur cap.
But
the most dramatic use of the diamond, whether in the ring or other
jewelry, arose after the beginning of the second World War in England,
for it came to symbolize the unquenchable spirit of a nation besieged.
Sentiment naturally is the greatest urge during time of war, anyway, so
it is not surprising that during the first year marriages increased 300
per cent over the previous year, and nearly 70 per cent of the
bridegrooms appeared at registrars' offices in uniform.
It
also was inevitable that an entirely new type of design for "sweetheart
jewelry" would develop. London engravers were kept busy inscribing
sentimental messages and initials, encircled with hearts, on the
surfaces of rings, bracelets, and lockets. A diamond ring called the
"eternity ring" appeared in the stones; this was a circlet of diamonds
set in platinum and worn like a guard on the top of the engagement
ring. The eternity ring was bestowed by the bridegroom after the
marriage and before his departure for army camp, sea patrol, or duty in
the RAF, as well as other governmental services.
The symbolism of eternity also was expressed in some
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