The engagement ring can be traced back to Pope Innocent III and his Fourth Lateran Council. The use of using a ring to signify that a couple were about to be married, goes to his preference that a longer betrothal be followed by the couple. Using gems on the rings was first used by aristocracy because they were considered important status symbols. Two popular types of rings that were given were the Regards ring and the Dearest ring, both dating back to Victorian times.

Pope Innocent III assembled the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 because of the results from the Third and Fourth Crusades. Among the canons he put into order was Canon 51 which forbids clandestine marriages from taking place. He wanted a longer time to pass before a couple could be married after a betrothal took place. In order for the status of the relationship to be recognized a ring was given to the future bride. Traditionally plain rings of gold, iron or silver were used. Putting gems on the ring was strictly for the aristocracy because they signified an important status and there were laws that stated only upper class could wear the jewels due to the strict division of social rank.

As time passed, so too did the laws distinguishing social rank. The use of gems is quite varied. Some traditions used a pattern of six birthstones that signified the joining of two families, and another tradition only used a pattern of four birthstones. The token rings, as they were called, often opened so that a lock of hair from the prospective groom could be enclosed. The Regards ring was quite popular in Victorian times and used a multitude of different gems. The gems that were used included the Ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby, diamond and sapphire, put in order so that the first letter of the gem spelled out "regards". Different variations of the gems used could spell out other words or a person's name. Another popular ring that dates back to the Victorian era is the Dearest Ring. It follows the same pattern of gem use as the Regards ring and was more popular; it used a diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, sapphire and a topaz.

Due to Pope Innocent III's distaste for clandestine marriage, a longer betrothal time was put in place. In order to signify that a woman was "betrothed" or engaged, an engagement was generally worn. At first the use of gems was strictly limited to upper class and aristocracy, but in later times the use of gems was popular with all social ranks. The Regards and Dearest rings were popular during the Victorian era and used several different gems to spell out words or names.