Diamond Engagement Ring History

The first documented case of a diamond ring being given to signify engagement is Archduke Maximillian of Austria and his gift to Mary of Burgundy. Before the 19th Century however it was not traditional for men to gift engagement rings as a symbol of bethrothal. A gift was usually given but often it would be something low value such as a sewing thimble.

However, around the 1930's diamond engagement rings started to become popular, thanks to targeted marketing and a increase in supply, eventually leading to 80% of married women in the US having being proposed to with a diamond engagement ring. That is 52.1 million women that have been proposed to with a diamond engagement ring. A far cry from the sewing thimbles of the past.