Blooming Bridal: Romantic Engagement Rings

Beautiful days are nearing, Spring is here! In collaboration with the talented Mathilde Nivet, we wanted to present you romantic floral engagement rings.

High priestess of paper and accustomed to staging jewelry, the artist Mathilde Nivet has enchanted us with a delightful Like a b floral scenery (of course) and in pink (obviously!) to reveal engagement rings magnified through the photo lens of Nicolas Mingalon.

Based on the idea of Princess Kate Middleton's « Daisy Ring » once worn by the legendary Princess Lady Di. Twisting the idea, revealing a more modern approach and a more disruptive design, all the while keeping the diamond as a symbol of eternal love.

Offering a sharp selection with:

• David Morris, the London jeweler recently set up in Paris and launched his articulated Palm Ring.
• Mathon Paris, grand Parisian workshop and their majestic Jasmin Ring.
• Piaget and their eternal Piaget Rose Ring in all delicacy.
• The Parisian designer Vangelder and his stylized flower ring with modern lines.
• Arthus Bertrand and his Princess solitaire which, seen from above, reveals the shape of a flower that descends onto a crown-shaped ring shank.
• Last but not least, three rings that couple to form only one, from the young high-jewelry brand Morphée Joaillerie and it's « Cherry Blossoms ».

The engagement ring is a symbol of love that unites a man and a woman for eternity, especially when it is bearing a diamond. It has not always been so. Let us briefly return to its history and genesis.

The engagement ring is a tradition that can be found in all countries around the world, regardless of background or religion. Since primitive time, jewels were first made with the use of bone, stone or shells, until the first iron ring appears. The Egyptians made it in gold often adorned with agate. It is highly likely that the habit of wearing the engagement ring on the finger of the left hand comes from this civilization, which identified the "vein of love" as the one that connects the left ring finger directly to the heart!

In the 17th century, the thumb ring was worn during an engagement and was then placed on the ring finger during the wedding mass. The ring was enriched with enamel, floral bouquets and inscriptions inside the ring. Then, in the 18th century, we see the appearance of several stones and symbols linked to love such as the initials of the spouses in diamonds or fine pearls and the timeless " Pompadour " "Daisy" and " Toi & Moi " ring designs.

The following century, rings were inspired both by neoclassicism, created under the Napoleonic Empire, but also by romanticism, which was inspired by nature and intended to be more discreet. We find the symbols of love used in ancient periods, such as joined hands from medieval times, the crowned or flaming heart, the ivy leaf (implying "I attach myself or whither and die"), the forget-me-not flowers, the snake (symbolic of attachment) or the twin ring, which separated two parts to join in the center the first name of the two spouses and a motto.

After Napoleon III conquered Burma, and discovered the diamond mines of South Africa, engagement rings were adorned with larger stones as sumptuous as rubies, sapphires and diamonds that were also cut with more precision, improving the light reflection and overall shine.

The 20th century with the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements revolutionized jewelry and opened a field of possibilities of curved and graphic lines, adorned with quality precious stones and their new cuts including the pear and marquees shape. The 1940s broke the rules with large graphic and asymmetrical rings in the shape of knots, links and various symbols of love and attachment.

From the 1960s on, engagement rings have become thinner, more delicate and have left room for the imagination so let's dream... and dream on.