The braided ring that brings good luck
The Venetian filigree ring is definitely the charm amulet that most closely can be linked to the history and tradition of the most serene Republic of Venice.
The processing of filigree in gold by the famous Venetian "goldsmiths" can certainly link its origins to the merchant relations that the Republic had with the East, Byzantium in the first place, but it had its greatest splendor especially after the fall of the Republic, in the eighteenth century.
Venetian goldsmiths, as a matter of fact, continued to excel in the world for the quality of their filigree jewelry and the already mentioned “Morettis”, another typical jewel of the lagoon city.
But let's come to the making of the "Happiness Wedding Ring".For centuries Venetian men gave to their betrothed as a pledge of everlasting love, to the wives expecting a son or any other important life events, a ring, a wedding ring (in Italian called Fede from the Latin Fides: the Roman personification of loyalty), completely hand-woven, according to the local tradition
But what does the tradition of the lagoon city say?
The tradition, like everything in Italy, has its origins in the mists of time.
According to the ancient Romans, the Parches (which the Greeks called Moire), Zeus’s daughters, preserved the natural order of things by weaving, with a thread, the fate of all men.
There were three of them and their names were:
Clotho (the Greek name means "I spin"), who spun the thread of life.
Lachesi (which in Greek means destiny), who wrapped the thread on a spindle and determined how much thread length each man should have. The white yarn along with silver or gold threads, the most precious material, for happy days, the black yarn for difficult days.
Atropo (whose meaning is "inflexible") who, using the scissors, determined the time of the end.
The Venetian Legend of the Gold Braided Ring
The legend says that Venetian goldsmiths, famous for their intelligence, created a ring for everlasting love and everlasting luck.
But where did everything begin?
Legend has it that Alvise Zorzi was madly in love with his bride Biancofiore Vendramin.
A fortuneteller, reading the hand of the beautiful girl, had predicted a very ominous future for them, telling her: "No matter which young man you'll marry, the thread of your wedding will be cut off after exactly one year."
The fortuneteller had not considered one thing: Alvise was the best apprentice in a typical Venetian goldsmith shop and, resolutely in his intent, studied a way to break the infamous fate.
Alvise's technique for processing the filigree in gold
He decided to tie only wires of gold or silver by hand, so that the days of life were just the happy ones, and made sure that every knot corresponded to a desire: the ring had been finely woven, life would have reserved more pleasant surprises and wishes to be accomplished.
But the most important question remained ... how could he deceive Atropo, who, after only one year, would cut off the thread of their love?
Simple, and Alvise had discovered it: it would have been enough to hide the thread by creating a ring that, being circular, by its nature, would have had neither beginning nor ending. Of course, love itself would never have ended, that is, it would be forever and forever happy.
So he did, and Atropo came after exactly one year to reclaim what was hers, but not finding the thread to be cut, gave them an enduring love that led them though the road of life for many years.
So the Venetian tradition began ... and this tradition became widespread in Venice.
The Venetian Filigree tradition
The young man would have to put his twisted filigree wedding ring on the ring finger of the left hand of his beloved: even today this is done, because tradition has it that at this point of the hand flows a vein (the vena amoris) that reaches the heart directly.
Even today, a ring is something that binds a woman to a man forever and that is why it is usually worn on the left ring finger hoping that love will last forever!
Maybe you say the legend is just the fruit of popular fantasy but as we say in Italy: it is not true but I believe it! It's always worth getting some luck in life and why not, to believe in the sweetest legends.
I embrace you as usual ... wherever you are
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