With This Symbol, I Thee Wed

 By Kathy Kovach

Let's go way back into history. The date was July 12, 1975. An epic day, at least in my life, when I wed the cute boy from church. Okay, 46 years may not be way back there, but it does give me the opportunity to highlight the time honored tradition of marriage.

Specifically, the ring.

This tiny piece of metal, (or leather, or twine, or thimble...more on that later,) really packs a punch in the symbolism trade. Let's take a stroll—to the tune of the Wedding March—through the years to explore this trinket of love.

We'd have to travel back some 3000 years to Egypt to find the first wedding ring. Several symbols were attributed to it because, well, ancient Egyptians loved to attach meaning to inanimate objects. The design of the ring meant no beginning and no end. A pledged love throughout eternity. The circle reminded them of the sun and moon, which they worshipped. Today, we could say the sun and moon represent our heavenly Father and His Son. The empty space within the circle was said to be a pathway to the unknown as the happy couple stepped into the future together, naïve and probably a little frightened. They wore this symbol on the fourth finger of the left hand, just as we do today, with the belief that the vein in that finger is directly connected to the heart. We know now this isn't correct, but the sentiment is lovely and worthy of continuing today.

The tradition continued into Greece and later into Rome. The material varied, with copper and iron most prevalent. In some cases, a key motif was worked into the metal to symbolize that the wife was now in control of the household goods. By the 2nd century CE, gold had become the preferred metal.

On into Medieval times, the gems themselves carried significance. Sapphires symbolized the heavens, rubies were for passion, and diamonds reminded one of steadfast strength. Of course, diamonds did hold steadfast, especially thanks to marketing in the 1950's where we were told diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Amongst all this talk about gold and shiny gems, the Puritans went the practical route. A thimble was given as a pledge of love. The new bride accepted it in the sweet way that Wendy presented the kiss—or thimble— to Peter Pan. The puritan bride then went on to sew items for the couple's new home. Once that was done, her groom would often cut off the top of the thimble for her ring. Now, I'm as pragmatic as the next gal, but give me a sparkling bauble and I'm good.

The Hebrew nation eventually adopted the ring from the countries in which they lived. However, they kept them free of jewels or intricate embellishment. Rather, the idea of a simple gold band held monetary value, as could a coin, property deed, or any other token of worth. The groom was not buying his bride as his property, but more precisely buying her intimacy, sealing the contract that she agrees to be with him and him alone. Traditionally, the ring had no gems, as the ring itself was to be presented as the true worth. Once precious stones were finally allowed, they needed to be of the finest quality, and not imitation. For the union itself should be pure as the purest gold, free of distractions, and simple in its faith between two people and their God.

Symbolism is an excellent way to ground one's belief. Yes, we've exchanged rings, but what does that mean? They are a reminder that our marriage is to be steadfast and true, free from distractions, and intimate in its very nature.

James and Kathleen, July 12, 1975

Happy 46th anniversary, my love! 

MissAdventure Brides Collection
Seven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures? Includes:
"Riders of the Painted Star" by Kathleen E. Kovach

1936 Arizona
Zadie Fitzpatrick, an artist from New York, is commissioned to go on location in Arizona to paint illustrations for an author of western novels and falls for the male model.

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother, though much too young for that. Kathleen is a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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History of the Diamond: April's Birthstone

 

Blogger: Amber Schamel

 

Diamonds - April's Birthstone
Mario Sarto, CC BY-SA 3.0

Welcome to the beautiful Spring month of April. A time for flowers, rain showers, and new life. For those of you lucky enough to be born in April, your birthstone is the diamond, which gives your significant other TWO good reasons to buy one for you. ;)

The diamond gets its name from the Greek word 'adamas' which means "unconquerable." A rather fitting name considering that the diamond is one of the most durable substances known to man. The diamond has become a symbol of eternal love and is the most common stone found on engagement rings...but let's not get ahead of ourselves. 

The earliest diamonds were found in the 4th century B.C in India and were traded along the Silk Road. Because the diamond possesses both strength and brilliance, they have been used since the very beginning both as tools and as adornments. It's uncertain which use made them more valuable. 

Initially, it was believed that the Indian mines were the only source of diamonds, but when those sources began to become depleted in the 18th century, the search for new sources began. In 1725, a small deposit was discovered in Brazil, however it wasn't near enough to keep up with demand. During this time, the value of the diamond was amazingly high. If you think the diamonds are valuable today, consider that the value was more than twice this much a few hundred years ago.

Kimberly Mine Shaft
Public Domain

In the late 1800's, a few discoveries of diamonds in South Africa caused a surge of diamond hunters, and a colossal deposit was discovered, which is now known as the Kimberly mine.  Because of the increase in supply, the demand decreased as the stone was seen as more "common". Between 1871 when the Kimberly Mine was opened, and 1912, the value of the diamond dropped 50%. In 1880, Cecil John Rhodes, an Englishman, consolidated the diamond mines in an effort to control the supply and DeBeers Consolidated Mines, LLC came into existence. While he succeeded in controlling the supply, demand for diamonds was still weak. This is where engagement rings come back into play. 

While the history behind engagement rings could be a post in and of itself, we're focusing on when diamonds became a player. The first known diamond engagement ring was presented in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria proposed to Mary of Burgundy. However diamonds were reserved for royalty or the elite, so diamonds as an engagement ring was not widespread.

 

Mary of Burgundy
First known recipient of diamond
engagement ring.
Public domain

Cecil Rhodes
Founder of DeBeers Consolidated Mines
Public Domain

In 1947 the Debeers, LLC proposed a huge advertising campaign branding the gem with "Diamonds are Forever". This campaign is what sparked the widespread use of diamonds as engagement rings. Today, 78% of engagement rings sold are made of diamonds, and it was this campaign that has saved the diamond industry. The value of diamonds has climbed significantly since the 40's, but it still is not at the level it was in ancient times. Nevertheless, it is considered one of the most valuable gems on earth.

 Happy birthday to all you April diamond babies! :D 

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives in Colorado Springs near her favorite mountain, in a small “castle” with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a new mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

 

The Great Diamond Hoax

It never ceases to amaze me how many ways unscrupulous people can find to trick others. Today, I’m sharing a little piece of history along these lines.

Phillip Arnold and John Slack

In 1872 in the bustling city of San Francisco, two men by the names of Phillip Arnold and John Slack walked down Powell Street, drawing quite a bit of attention. The men were grubby, disheveled prospectors, and while California had been at the heart of one of the best-known gold strikes in America, those days were long over. San Francisco had grown up and become civilized. The filthy prospectors looked quite out of place as they traipsed to the end of Powell Street and entered the Bank of California.

After their initial awe at the fanciness of the bank waned, Arnold and Slack walked up to an available teller and asked to leave a filthy bag in the safety of the bank while they looked around town. The bank manager was called, and he informed the men that before he could take charge of the bag, he needed to see the contents. Nervously, the two men dumped the bag out, revealing hundreds of uncut diamonds, ranging in size from a tiny pebble to that of a twenty-dollar gold piece. The bank manager was in shock, but finally agreed to take charge of the diamonds for the men. With their receipt in hand, the prospectors left the bag and went to see the San Francisco sights.

Well, you know how such circumstances go. News of the diamonds traveled quickly, and within days, the whole financial community of the large city was aware of their existence. The bankers decided to find out where the two men had found the diamonds, knowing that if these were any representation, there could be even greater wealth to be had. Under the guise of wanting to invest in the diamond venture, the bankers eventually persuaded the prospectors into revealing the location of the diamond fields. The valuable stones had come from Colorado.

Immediately, a representative was dispatched to the area, accompanied by Arnold and Slack. The men blindfolded the bank rep as they neared the site, but once they arrived, his eye covering was removed, and he was allowed to look around at will. He found plenty of gemstones—lots of diamonds and even some rubies. The field was rich with gems. Meanwhile, the Bank of California contacted Tiffany’s in New York to verify the quality of the stones. Tiffany’s confirmed that if the stones were available in large amounts, it would be a royal inheritance.

The bankers quickly invested their money, to the tune of ten million dollars, into a newly formed company, the San Francisco and New York Mining and Commercial Company. They offered the old prospectors $600,000 to buy them out of the diamond fields. Poor Arnold and Slack, seeing that this was big business and they were lowly backwoods prospectors, reluctantly agreed to the deal. With the news spreading of the great find, even more banks and mining companies sprang up and attempted to get in on the historic find. All in all, nearly $200 million was thrown after the diamond fields of Colorado.

But the story doesn’t end there. A man who had recently mapped the area in which the diamonds had supposedly been found report that diamonds were not naturally found in that location. Upon further research, he found that the diamond fields had been “salted.” When the original diamonds brought into the Bank of California were examined closely, many were found to have cutter’s marks. They dug further into the history of both Arnold and Slack, and learned that these prospectors had purchased large quantities of low-quality gemstones in their native Kentucky the year before, and salted the Colorado field with those stones. These supposed backwoods prospectors had gotten the best of the bigwig bankers in both San Francisco and New York!

Of course, lawsuits were filed and restitution was sought, but because the bankers entered into these dealings after much research, there was little that could be done. One of the two prospectors made a partial settlement with the companies he’d duped, but kept enough of the money to retire quite comfortably in his native Kentucky. The other man landed in New Mexico, never repaying any of the money, and lived out the rest of his life as a coffin-maker.

It’s your turn. Have you heard of the Great Diamond Hoax? What did you think of the story?

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Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.