Why you never see diamond rings in Bridgerton, even though they’re all getting engaged

In Bridgerton, people are getting engaged left, right and centre as they find a suitor during the social season, but have you ever noticed the women never have diamond engagement rings?

All of the rings in the show are either made of pearl, or brightly coloured precious and semi-precious stones like rubies, emeralds, turquoise and topaz. Penelope Featherington’s ring is made up of a circle of six round pearls in a flower shape, while Daphne’s ring is similar, with four pearls.

Credit: Netflix

It seems strange to us to see no diamonds, because it’s the most popular choice for engagement rings today, but it was a whole different story back then.

In the Regency period when Bridgerton is set, from 1811 to 1820, diamonds were very rare. As explained by antique jewellery company Parkin and Gerrish, diamonds were only mined in India and Brazil and were reserved for royalty.

Bridgerton isn’t entirely historically accurate and doesn’t claim to be, creating a fictional portrayal of the period. However, the engagement rings are one thing they have kept representative of the time, so Queen Charlotte is the only one who’s shown wearing diamonds in the series.

Credit: Netflix

People with wealth like the Bridgertons opted for other stones instead, like pink topaz or sapphire, which were a lot easier to find. Pearl was also incredibly popular, not only because it was a lot more readily available, but because people thought it symbolised purity and innocence. These were very desirable traits, and pearl was considered romantic and valuable.

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The Regency era also favoured dainty designs, with small stones set on silver or gold metal, rather than large, garish gems. However, proposing with an engagement ring wasn’t actually a universal tradition in Regency England, like it is today. Some men bought rings, but it wasn’t a necessity to get engaged, which is why some women don’t wear them at all in Bridgerton.

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Featured image by: Netflix