Bands have figured prominently in betrothal and marriages since prehistoric times. As a matter of fact, it would be hard to imagine having an engagement and wedding without referring to bands. Because of their long lingering presence, wedding ring and engagement ring are often confused with each other. However, it should be understood that while both these jewelry pieces are worn by women, they greatly differ from each other in many aspects.

In order to understand the difference between the wedding ring and engagement ring, let's start to look at their individual purposes. To simply put it, an engagement ring is given by the man to the woman prior to their marriage in order to signify that they are bound to be married. Wedding bands on the other hand, are exchanged by the couple on their wedding day to seal their wedding vows and signify that the wearers are united as husband and wife. After the ceremony and the years of their marriage, both the bands are worn by the woman on her left finger, while the man only wears the wedding ring since men are not accustomed to wear an engagement band.

Between wedding and engagement bands, many couples prefer investing on engagement bands. In fact, an engagement ring can be treated as the most attention-seeking between the two, as it is somehow symbolic of announcing the couple's status. Traditionally, engagement bands have protruding center stones usually made from fine diamond jewelry. At the moment however, couples need not to buy engagement bands that are accentuated with diamond stones, rather as a less expensive option they could use other precious stones such as ruby, sapphire, opal, etc., as the center stone of the engagement ring.

Meanwhile, wedding ring is the exact opposite of engagement ring in terms of design and finish as it is often plain and simple, or sometimes appear as less accentuated with gemstones. However, there are also couples that make use of fine diamond jewelry for their wedding bands, though this rarely happens as the plain design of such ring symbolizes the sanctity of marriage. Both the wedding and engagement bands are traditionally worn on the left finger between the index and pinkie fingers as it is believed that the said finger contain the vena amori or the vein directly connected to the heart. Though there are some cultures that place their wedding and engagement bands on the ring finger on the right hand.

Usually, wedding and engagement bands are purchased separately. They could also be purchased as a set; hence, some wedding bands are as intricately designed as the engagement bands they come with. If you decide to purchase these pieces separately, always put in mind that you would be using them daily, so when it comes to the shape of the gemstone especially for the engagement ring choose the ones that would suit your lifestyle. A diamond may be hard in nature, but it can chip off or break overtime especially if it has pointed edges; in this case it would be more preferable to choose a round brilliant cut as it could last longer.

In general, wedding ring and engagement ring are two important jewelry pieces that symbolizes two of the most important stages in the relationship of couples""engagement and marriage. They indeed have distinct qualities that sets them apart from each other. Regardless of their many differences though, it is undeniable that both of them are built upon the concept of representing undying love, as seen from the round finish of the bands and their material makeup. They also function as material seals that strengthen their vows and the symbolic meaning and sentimentality of the couple's devotion for each other.