<P> The earliest examples of wedding rings are from Ancient Egypt . Western customs for wedding rings can be traced to ancient Rome and Greece, and were transmitted to the present through Christendom in Europe, which adapted the ancient customs . </P> <P> Depending on culture, a wedding ring is typically worn on the base of the left or right ring finger . Many spouses wear their wedding rings day and night, causing an indentation in the skin that is visible even when the ring is removed . Since the 19th century in the West, it has been considered unlucky to remove a wedding ring once it has been placed on the finger in church . </P> <P> It is commonly believed that the first examples of wedding rings were found in ancient Egypt . Relics dating to 6,000 years ago, including papyrus scrolls, are evidence of the exchange of braided rings of hemp or reeds between spouses . Ancient Egypt considered the circle to be a symbol of eternity, and the ring served to signify the perpetual love of the spouses . This was also the origin of the custom of wearing the wedding ring on the ring finger of the left hand, because the ancient Egyptians believed that this finger enclosed a special vein that was connected directly to the heart, denominated in Latin the "Vena amoris". </P> <P> The Western traditions of wedding rings can be traced to ancient Rome and Greece, and were first associated with the marital dowry and later with a promise of fidelity . The modern exchange of rings derived from the customs of Europe in the Middle Ages as part of Christendom . In the United States, wedding rings were initially only worn by wives, but became customary for both husbands and wives during the 20th century . </P>

When did the exchange of wedding rings begin