The Custom of Giving Rings

Gold Wedding Rings

The custom of giving and receiving rings dates back over 4,800 years. The fourth digit or ring finger of the hand has become the customary place to wear a wedding ring in much of the world.

It is associated with an old belief that the left hand's ring finger is connected by a vein directly to the heart: the vena amoris or vein of love. This idea was known in 16th and 17th century England, when Henry Swinburne referred to it in his book about marriage.

It can be traced back to ancient Rome, when Aulus Gellius cited Appianus as saying the ancient Egyptians had found a fine nerve linking that particular finger to the heart.

While he was discussing the ring finger, Gellius did not mention actual wedding or love rings.