An eternity ring symbolises the everlasting love between two people as well as the 'eternity' a married couple plan to share together.

The first time that eternity rings were created was approximately 4,000 years ago during Egyptian times. While the Egyptians didn't use the rings to mark a special occasion, they were given to their significant other as a symbol of both eternal love and life.

Early examples that were found were just an ordinary circle of metal, usually set with stones either on the top half of the ring or around the entire circumference of the ring. Some examples of eternity rings were also supposed to mimic the image of a snake devouring its own tail, which is a common symbol used to represent eternity, and is often referred to as the 'ouroboros'.

Eternity rings are traditionally presented after a couple have already got married, they tend to be given as a gift to commemorate a milestone wedding anniversary or to celebrate a new baby being born. The concept of giving an eternity ring to celebrate a milestone in a marriage represents not only the time you have spent together, but also the long future you plan to share together.
Another meaning of the eternity ring is to represent the eternal circle of life, and because of this, they are often given to a wife or a new mother by her partner after their first child is born or welcomed into the family.

If you follow the traditional anniversary gifts, gemstones are not meant to be given until the fortieth anniversary and, even then, it is only supposed to be rubies, not diamonds which is the typical stone used in an eternity ring. So, if you are looking at sticking to tradition, the diamond eternity ring would be appropriate for your sixtieth anniversary. However, if you don't want to wait until then, a diamond eternity would be perfect for a tenth anniversary gift or maybe even your one year anniversary.

Here at William May, we do have the classic diamond style eternity rings but, if you are looking for a different type of gemstone we might just have what you've been looking for. Shop for your perfect eternity ring here