When and how did the tradition of giving diamond engagement rings start?

Although diamonds came into play a little later, the tradition of exchanging engagement rings or betrothal rings dates back to the ancient Roman times. The ancient Romans even wore the engagement rings on the third finger of the left hand, a habit which has endured until today. The Middle Ages saw the advent of the "bond ring", and was probably set with rubies, emeralds and sapphires – if they were within your price range. So it was already an acceptable and even popular practice to exchange engagement rings when the Archduke Maximilian of Austria famously proposed to Mary of Burgundy in 1477 with a diamond set engagement ring. Maximilian's innovation, however, was the diamond. As a figure of royalty and apparent trendsetter, the gesture caught on and the tradition of diamond engagement rings was born. Diamond engagement rings didn't become ubiquitous until the 20th century though, thanks to marketing campaigns by the diamond industry that engrained the diamond engagement ring in our minds as a mandatory accessory for every married woman.

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The earliest records were of the Archduke Maximillian of Hamburg giving a diamond engagement ring to his intended, Mary of Burgandy, in 1477. Diamonds were chosen because they are the hardest, most resilient mineral on earth. They symbolize the unbending union between a man and woman entered into wedlock.

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Engagement rings have quite a history. They were used as tokens and later in the times of the Greeks and Romans also obtained symbolic value. Women wore engagement rings to symbolize their commitment towards their future husband. It wasn't so much about love back then, but one might still find it romantic.

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There are some historians and experts which claim that engagement rings and wedding bands were used as early as prehistoric times, when cavemen would bind the legs of their intended woman together to prevent her escape. The knotted circle bound around the women's legs was later interpreted into the modern version of the engagement ring. By the way, if the woman was later released, and did not attempt escape, then she was now wed. I wonder, is that where the saying 'tying the knot' originated?

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