Engagement Ring Superstitions and Their Origins

Engagement rings have been exchanged for hundreds of years, so it is little wonder that a rich seam of superstition has grown up around them. In Hatton Garden, London's historic diamond quarter in EC1N, where so many couples come to choose an engagement ring, the old beliefs still raise a smile among jewellers and shoppers alike. Whether you set great store by luck and fate or regard it all as harmless folklore, these customs make a charming read. From which finger the ring belongs on to who should and should not try it, the traditions reflect just how much meaning we invest in a single band. Here are some of the best loved tales, and the grains of history behind them.

Who should wear the ring first

One enduring belief holds that you should never let another person try on your engagement ring. Legend warns that doing so invites them to steal your intended away.

Whatever you make of the superstition, many wearers simply like the idea that they are the only one ever to have worn their engagement ring. There is something special in being the first and only, and that sentiment alone keeps the custom alive.

Keeping the ring on your hand

Another tradition says the engagement ring should never be removed entirely, even during the wedding ceremony when the wedding ring is put on.

To honour it, a bride traditionally slides the engagement ring along to a neighbouring finger rather than taking it off, then returns it once the service is complete. It is a small ritual, but one that many couples still enjoy following.

Heirlooms and the correct finger

Engagement rings are generally thought to bring good fortune to a marriage. When a ring is passed down through a family or bought from an antique jewellery specialist, folklore says it carries something of the happiness or sorrow of the marriages before it.

The most familiar custom of all concerns placement. Since Egyptian times, the ring has been worn on the fourth finger of the left hand, in the belief that a vein there ran straight to the heart. It is a sweet idea rather than a stern warning, so there is no harm in following it. The jewellers around Greville Street, Leather Lane and Chancery Lane will happily help you find the perfect band whichever finger you favour.

Fun fact: The Romans gave the fourth finger of the left hand the name vena amoris, the vein of love, which is where the tradition began.

Believe them or not, these superstitions add a little extra romance to choosing a ring. Visit the quarter and write your own chapter in the story.