Celtic Wedding Rings Are Timeless
Celtic wedding rings employ the knot, a motif unique to Celtic art and a perfect symbolic representation of matrimony. Before we discuss Celtic wedding rings, a brief discussion of the origins of the form is in order. The term "Celts" refers to a large number of different ethnic and tribal groups united by the Celtic language. The Celtic language is, more properly, a group of Indo-European languages identified by linguists as being of common origin.
The modern Celtic nations are Brittany, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. The Celtic Diaspora can be found in all English speaking nations of the world. Among outsiders, Celtic art and traditions are often mistaken for the closely related Gaelic traditions of the Irish people. It was long thought that the use of a related language indicated that the Celtic nations were the product of a common ancestor but recent DNA studies have indicated this is not the case.
In the 18th century British colonialism was spreading the English language and culture around the world. Artists and philosophers in the Celtic nations, long conquered by England, initiated what came to be known as the Celtic Art Revival to assert a tribal identity that was distinct from the culture of the Anglo-Saxon British.
Celtic art is highly abstract and stylized, similar to the Arabic art and quite different from the classical Greco-Roman representational tradition. The designs are graphical representations of flowing, endless patterns originally popularized when they were adapted for use in the ornamentation of Roman Catholic manuscripts, churches and monuments.
A common and unique motif in Celtic art is the knot. It is used to symbolize infinity, eternity and union. It is this that makes Celtic bands uniquely suited for matrimonial jewelry.
There are some beautiful three dimensional Celtic wedding rings available. These designs do not have the traditional flat band with solid, even edges. The band is formed by the loops of the featured knot pattern, with open spaces captured within the design. A variation on this is two solid ring edges serving as a frame for a graceful flow of rope-like metal capturing open space within the design.
Ring edging is also an area in which Celtic knot motifs allow the designer exceptional freedom. Because the underlying theme is that of a rope, it is not necessary for there to be any edge to the band at all, other than that provided by the knot pattern itself. In many ways, Celtic wedding rings are one of last artistic expressions of intricate metal work. The filigree of the Victorian era has a dated look compared to the graceful, long curves of modern Celtic design. The filigree of Celtic knot designs surpasses the temporal limitations of fashion.
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