Will you marry me?

Have you ever thought where the traditions come from? People are used to follow various traditions like celebrating St. Valentine's Day with giving heart-shaped presents, or put a candle inside a hollow pumpkin on Hallowing, or keep family most favourite recipes in a Recipe Box. The list of traditions is endless, though today let's cover only one of them: what are the roots of giving diamond wedding ring tradition?

After some investigations three basic reasons can be distinguished:

1. Diamond is considered to be the most solid stone in the world, so it serves a kind of symbol of everlasting, solid relationships of the couple, where a bridegroom gave a diamond wedding ring to his beloved fiancé.
2. It is dated 1477, when Archduke of Austria (later King of the Romans and Holy Roman Emperor) Maximilian I gave his fiancé Mary of Burgundy a wedding ring, which was diamond. Since that time it became a kind of tradition for giving diamond rings.
3. Economic marketing ploy made by De Beers, the largest world Company specialized in diamond mining, trading and manufacturing. During the 30s, when a whole world was in depression, De Beers managed to organize a huge advertisement campaign and create a real diamond boom, which has not ended yet.
Well, to follow the tradition whatever its roots are, a bridegroom has to pay a real fortune (about 3 month's salaries) to buy a tiny sparkle ring. Does not it sound awkward? Moreover, if a ring could tell a story how it was mined, and how much rock had been destroyed to find a gem, how hard people worked to find it, how it was transported (hope not smuggled), then grind - wow, a long story it could be, sometimes "bloody". Do you think a bride would like to get such a ring for the happiest moment of her life? If you really want to make your sweetheart happy without bringing any sacrifice, either financial or ecological, you may choose a ring with created diamond, which is of the same solidity, beauty, shimmer and longevity as natural one. But the main advantage of created diamonds is that they are grown in a laboratory and considered to be eco green diamonds, which are cheaper and conflict free. Let nothing darken your wedding!