In the American culture, wearing your wedding ring on your left-hand ring finger is undoubtedly the tradition, but did you know that other cultures wear them on the right hand? Also, how did we decide which hand to wear them on? So many questions with interesting answers!
The ancient Romans, whom we get a lot of our wedding traditions from, wore their wedding rings on their left hand, specifically on the fourth finger because the “vein of love” was said to run from that finger to the heart. Interestingly, the left hand was said to be unreliable and untrustworthy in ancient Rome, but apparently, the “vein of love” counteracted that! The romance of this symbolism always makes me smile and is probably the main reason why most cultures still use the left hand even though the left hand has historically been looked at as wrong.
In traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies, the wedding ring is placed on the bride’s right index finger, as the right hand has always been associated with oaths. After the ceremony, brides will place the rings on the left hand especially if they live in a Western culture, but many brides who do not continue wearing it on the right hand.
Brides in Syria, Brazil, Lebanon, and Turkey wear their engagement rings on their right hand, but move it to their left hand during the ceremony. In Germany and the Netherlands, couples do just the opposite by starting on the left but move to the right!
The grooms in Sri Lanka wear their rings on the right hand while the brides wear on the left hand. But, in Spain, Portugal, and Greece, it is common to wear your wedding ring on the right hand for both bride and groom. Other countries who commonly wear it on their right hand include Norway, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Austria, Serbia, Ukraine, Hungary, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru. Although, many couples are swayed by the Western culture of wearing wedding rings on the left hand.
The wedding ring is usually a symbol between yourselves of your love, but it is also a statement to the world that this person is no longer available! No matter what hand tradition you want to adopt, I would love to help you with your engagement ring and wedding bands! Angela Cisneros Jewelry Concierge brings back the joy and confidence of jewelry shopping, so that you can celebrate with ease! My by-appointment approach means:
One-on-one appointments (personal attention and no crowds!)
Discretion and privacy (surprises remain surprises!)
Expert help from a Graduate Gemologist with 25 years of experience (yep, that’s me!)
Book your FREE appointment with me today! www.angelacisneros.com/book-appointment
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