10 facts about Eternity Rings you might not know

Have you heard of eternity rings? These days they are gifted for many reasons: a gift after one year of marriage, some after 10 years, the birth of a first child. My mother has a beautiful eternity ring which is made up of seven different gemstones, the first letter of each of their names spell forever. Isn’t that lovely? Alas, I have yet to receive one, but you never know right?

Here are 10 facts about eternity rings that you might not know:

1. Eternity rings are also known as an Infinity Band, as they represent never-ending love and celebrate the continuation of the union of marriage or partnership.
2. It was the Egyptians who believed that the vein of love, running from the fourth finger on the left hand to the heart, needed to be represented by a ring. They date back nearly 4000 years to around 2000BC.
3. Some of the earliest examples of eternity rings were designed to imitate the likeness of a snake consuming its own tail.
4. In England, France, and the U.S. people wear their wedding rings on their left hand, but couples in Germany and Russia prefer the right hand. 
5. Eternity rings are traditionally worn either in place of or alongside engagement rings.
6. They come in a vast array of styles and setting options including claw (the most popular), bezel, bar, grain, and channel. The most popular shape of diamond is the round, brilliant-cut stone. You can see the full complement of designs at Abelini Jewellery [http://www.abelini.com/]
7. Eternity rings come in half or full-eternity options and usually feature precious stones set in gold or platinum. However, the creative possibilities are endless! These days you can even design your own.
8. Due to eternity rings being complicated they are quite difficult to resize. Eternity rings that are fully covered in gemstones cannot be resized as there is no ‘spare’ metal to remove.
9. Traditionally eternity rings are adorned with diamonds with the most common being fully covered in stones but they also come in half, one-third, one-quarter, and three-quarters diamond coverage options. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other stones are also popular.
10. Only the most skilled jewellers are able to craft eternity rings due to their intricate nature. A team will need to work on each individual area separately designing the band itself and ensuring that it can cater for the expertly cut diamonds or gems to fit within the ridges that line the outer layer of the ring itself.