Your wedding ring will adorn your hand for the rest of your life, and it will be the most visible sign of your commitment to your spouse. The more beautifully it symbolises your love for your spouse, the better. Over the years, many different styles have been used to create this important piece of jewellery, from the classic simple gold band to elaborate, gem-studded designs.
Today, there is another type of wedding ring that some couples are choosing: Diamond rings made out of the couple’s hair. While an unusual and new way to create wedding rings, the use of hair in wedding rings has roots that go back many years and carries a symbolism that some couples find appealing. Strange? Creepy? Or beautifully symbolic? You decide.
Diamond wedding rings made from hair are the latest in 5,000 years of trends affecting the rings used to symbolise romantic love.
Ever since the Egyptians began using rings made from twisted reeds to symbolise romantic love 5,000 years ago, wedding rings have been changing to accommodate shifts in cultures, beliefs about marriage, economic realities, and personal preferences.
For example, the Egyptians used grass, reeds, and leather for their rings, but the Greeks and Romans used metal. The Romans sometimes used iron bands engraved with a key, because they wanted to symbolise that the wife was the possession of her husband, while Jews often chose simple, unadorned bands to symbolise the eternal nature of marriage.
Even today, there are hundreds of styles from which couples can choose, enabling people from many different economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds to represent their commitment with a ring. Selecting the ring that is perfect for you and your spouse means finding the one that has the right symbolism, the right design, and the right price for your specific circumstances.
Diamond wedding rings made from hair check all the right boxes for some couples. And, they enjoy historic precedent: Celtic couples used to braid locks of their hair into the wedding ring for the bride. Today’s diamond wedding rings made from hair take the sentiment behind this practice and incorporate it into a more enduring form.
But why use hair? Hair has historically been used in remembrance jewellery, and provides an easy source of the carbon needed to create the diamond.
It may seem surprising, but hair and jewellery have gone together for many years. As mentioned before, Celtic couples used hair in their wedding bands. And, for 400 years, remembrance (also called funeral) jewellery has included the hair of the deceased in it. In fact, the hair was often the focal point of the jewellery, braided into intricate designs and providing a tangible reminder of the one who had died.
Hair has often been the material of choice for jewellery because it is easy to obtain, and because it provides a tangible reminder of the one for whom the jewellery is being made. Wedding rings may not have much to do with funerals, but if you want to incorporate part of yourself into your wedding band, hair is the practical way to go.
In addition, when it comes to creating diamonds, hair is an easy and rich source of the carbon needed to make the diamond. In order for the diamond to form successfully, it must be made from a base of carbon (since diamonds are almost purely carbon). Hair provides that carbon. About a half a cup of snipped locks is needed for each diamond grown for the wedding ring.
The carbon from the hair is turned into a diamond using the same process that natural diamonds undergo within the Earth’s crust.
Once the carbon is extracted from the hair, it is grown into a real diamond using the same processes that natural diamonds endured when growing deep within the Earth’s crust. These processes require two things: Heat and pressure. As a result, the carbon from the hair is subjected to temperatures of up to 3,632 degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of up to 60,000 atmospheres. Under these conditions, the carbon gradually arranges itself into the tetrahedral pattern that defines the diamond.
While natural diamonds can take millions or billions of years to form within the Earth, lab-grown diamonds like those formed from human hair take a few months. Once completed, they receive a professional grading based on the same 4Cs of cut, colour, clarity, and carat-weight that are used to grade natural diamonds.
Once couples have the diamonds made from their hair, they can select a cut for each diamond and a style for each ring. The cut couples choose and the ring style they select depend upon their personal preferences. Some might prefer a small diamond set within a simple band, while others might prefer a more elaborate ring that incorporates other gems and designs.
Creepy? Strange? Or beautifully symbolic? It depends on who you ask.
So is this new trend in wedding rings creepy? Strange? Or beautifully symbolic? It really depends on who you ask. Most trends and styles will appeal to some people and not to others. Similarly, creating wedding rings out of hair is not for every couple.
Just as the styles that people choose depends upon their personal preferences, so does the type of gemstone (if any) that they select for their wedding band. Some people might find it creepy or strange to wear their and their spouse’s hair on their hand. Others might prefer a simpler band that doesn’t have any gems on it.
Others, however, are finding the symbolism of uniting their hair into a diamond (or diamonds) for their wedding bands to be an appealing option. They choose to symbolise their new unity and commitment by combining literal pieces of themselves into a gem that they will wear every day.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong choice. Your wedding day will be beautiful and personal no matter what type of wedding ring you choose. Creating the right wedding day for you means choosing the elements that reflect your personality, your religious beliefs, and your goals for the day. It also means knowing all of your options. And diamond wedding rings made from your and your other half’s hair is one unique new way to represent your commitment to your spouse. If you are curious about diamond rings made from hair, visit Heart In Diamond’s website here.