Queen Victoria (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) had a rather unusual engagement ring by today’s standards, though the serpent was an ancient Roman symbol for everlasting love and so-called ouroboros rings were very popular in the Victorian era. The serpent in Queen Victoria’s ring had ruby eyes, a diamond mouth and an emerald (Victoria’s birthstone – birthstone engagement rings were more common than diamond rings in those days) in the centre. Prince Albert designed it and Victoria was buried wearing it.
Queen Victoria:
- had to propose to Albert because she was a Queen at the time
- made wearing white wedding dresses ‘a thing’
- was the first Queen to live at Buckingham Palace
- was barely five feet tall
- was only 18 when she became Queen
- survived multiple attempts to assassinate her (one man attempted to assassinate her EIGHT times)
- was the first member of the royal family to ride on a train
- popularised the Christmas tree
While trying to find out more information about Queen Victoria’s engagement ring, I found some interesting information about royal engagement rings on this page
