The diamond settings popular for the mass of people today is the pronged diamond engagement ring. However, in ages past, diamonds were relegated to royalty and the opulence of crown jewels and ostentatious displays of wealth. In fact, Archduke Maximilian of Austria commissioned the first diamond engagement ring for his fiancée, Mary of Burgundy. It was only after the nineteenth century that the diamond engagement ring became more affordable for commoners. They were considered jewels for the noblesse before then, so much so, that Louis IX, king of France, created a law banning commoners, women, and even princesses from wearing diamonds.

These jewels were considered the spoils of wars and often went from one kingdom to another. Many of the largest diamonds originated in India, but were passed across from one dynasty to another as they were taken in war or theft. The Koh-I-Noor diamond began in India, being displayed in the Peacock Throne of Persian Emperors, only to years later land in the British Crown Jewels when Queen Victoria took over India. These were definitely gems considered to be the providence of those with royal blood and lent not only wealth but also credence to royal lines and claims of territory.

Luckily, we don’t have to be of royal blood or fight wars to wear diamonds anymore. The popularity of a diamond engagement ring has become so mainstream that about 70 percent of Americans and British women receive them prior to marriage. This custom is slowly becoming adopted in other countries as well.