Victorian ladies and their gloves

PastMidnight · Jan 22, 2010

I've seen pictures of Victorian women wearing rings and bracelets on the outside of their evening gloves. Were wedding rings and engagement rings also worn over gloves or were they worn underneath? I would think that, in the case of a ring which was worn all the time, the fit wouldn't be quite right over a glove.

Thank you!

Chris P · Jan 22, 2010

I've heard that ring customs change over time, and perhaps wedding and engagement rings weren't worn every day like they are today?

You might Google for "Victorian wedding customs" and see what comes up.

Alternately, ladies might have had special, larger rings that they wore outside their gloves for show. Seems like something rich folk would have done back then.

Lyra · Jan 22, 2010

Wedding rings were certainly worn under gloves - the left glove was slit before the marriage ceremony so the ring could be put on without the glove being removed. But they did fit more snuggly than other rings.

I would have thought that an engagement ring would be treated the same and the over glove rings are dress rings - but I don't *know* that.

It would be a bit scandalous to take a wedding or engagement ring off.

PastMidnight · Jan 22, 2010

Thank you both! Now that you mention that, Lyra, about wedding rings being slid on through a slit, it sounds familiar. I don't know how widespread engagement were rings yet at that time. This is late Victorian (1890s) if it helps. Yes, dress rings. Sounds about right for over the gloves. I just can't figure how an engagement ring would fit underneath a glove. Unless then they weren't worn as often as today.

pdr · Jan 23, 2010

Sometimes...

wedding rings or engagement rings were worn on a chain around the neck, or pinned to a bar brooch. This was to keep them safe whilst doing hand work.

Certainly with gloves being worn as a standard part of one's dress the wedding ring and the engagement ring fitted under the glove.

Evening gloves were very fine. Bracelets were usually worn over them, rings worn over gloves were usually just jewellery, a way of showing off the family rubies.

PastMidnight · Jan 23, 2010

Thank you!

I figured it would be tricky to have rings fit underneath evening gloves, given how delicate they were. A wedding band I could see underneath, but might that be an occasion for an engagement ring to be worn on a chain or brooch (didn't know that about pinning to a bar brooch!)

Victorian ladies and their gloves

PastMidnight

Oponionated

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Lyra

PastMidnight

Oponionated

pdr

PastMidnight

Oponionated