Celtic wedding rings employ the knot, a motif unique to Celtic art and a perfect symbolic representation of matrimony. Before we discuss Celtic wedding rings, a brief discussion of the origins of the form is in order. The term “Celts” refers to a large number of different ethnic and tribal groups united by the Celtic language. The Celtic language is, more properly, a group of Indo-European languages identified by linguists as being of common origin.

The Celtic nations are essentially the British Isles with the exception of Ireland. In England the Celtic tradition was subsumed by Anglo-Saxon culture. The long held belief that all Cetic culture trace back to a common tribe has been disproved by genetic investigators and it is now believed Celtic culture was spread by conquering other unrelated tribes or through simple cultural influence of neighboring peoples.

Celtic art in modern usage refers to the designs and motifs that came to prominence during the Celtic art revival of the eighteenth century. This revival was born out of the desire by the Welsh and Scottish to assert their cultural identities in the face of the dominance of English culture in political and religious areas.

Celtic art is primarily ornamental, making it well suited to jewelry. In this it has more in common with Arabic art than with the representational art of the classical tradition. Unlike Arabic art, however, Celtic art avoids straight lines and employs symmetry only sparingly.

A common and unique motif in Celtic art is the knot. It is used to symbolize infinity, eternity and union. It is this that makes Celtic bands uniquely suited for matrimonial jewelry.

Modern Celtic wedding rings utilize any of about a dozen traditional Celtic knot patterns. Two or three patterns are sometimes combined. Added to this are edging styles or even edgeless models, which is made possible by fashioning the metal as rope strands that serve as their own edges.

Common patterns used in Celtic wedding bands are the Infinity Motif (a two strand braid), the Trinity Knot (three interlocked petal-shapes, commonly found in Catholic Churches and similar to the universal sign representation for nuclear), the Celtic Knot, the Celtic Circle, the Newgrange Spiral, the Celtic Spiral and the Celtic Heart. The number of possible combinations of these designs is extremely large. When we add the ingenuity of modern artisans in edging styles and gem insets, Celtic wedding rings for every taste are available.

Ever-increasing economic concerns have caused even wedding planning to take a look at conserving cash where possible. Making a fashion statement with affordable bridal jewelry can be accomplished with a minimum of muss or fuss, for the most part.

What a lot of brides-to-be who may be on a budget don’t know is that there are a wide variety of styles and fashions in bridal jewelry that don’t cost a lot of money or even a lot of time to find.

If budget is an actual concern, there are any numbers of solutions to the problem. Affordable jewelry can be found that contains cubic zirconium, for instance. Other styles and fashions can come with faux or freshwater pearls, which are less expensive than either real or saltwater kinds. Also, crystal can be substituted for diamonds. There are a myriad of bridal jewelry sets that use these items, either singly or as pairs in earrings, for instance.

So-called “costume jewelry” is also a good option. A number of shops and stores sell their wares on the Internet. Most bridal necklace sets can be found at very affordable prices. All of them look quite nice and will shine and give off all kinds of sparkling colors under the right lighting conditions. Rhinestones of all types can make for a good accessory in many instances. They’re not expensive and very abundant, and they can add color and style to any wedding ensemble.

As far as bridal tiaras and wedding headbands, the bride on a budget has an almost limitless selection. She can also combine different pieces of faux jewelry to make a very memorable bridal set sure to bring back fond remembrances for years to come. Stylish and affordable bridal jewelry doesn’t have to be cheap looking in any way or by any measure.

Soon-to-be brides also should never forget that there are several different makers of jewelry kits for crafters on the market. These come complete with just about any faux jewelry item needed to make up whatever form of bridal set is desired. They can also be reproduced from any era, too. Victorian jewelry ensembles can be created fairly easily, with just a little practice.

Given today’s economic realities, and the need to conserve cash wherever possible, affordable bridal jewelry should be looked at when necessary. Certainly, with such a wide variety of options to choose from, the chances of finding nice pieces are very high. This reality is certain to help ease the minds of almost every budget conscious bride-to-be out there. The wedding itself will be memorable for quite some time, and for the right reasons.