One of the two principal antique engagement ring trade routes passed through Venice. It enjoyed a monopoly of the engagement rings trade on its way to the main towns of southern Germany up to its final destination in Bruges.
The precise origin of diamond dealers is still not truly known. However, it is believed that the first engagement rings ever discovered in South Africa was done so by a fifteen year old boy by the name of Erasmus Jacobs. While searching for a stick to clear a drain one day, he picked up a stone sparkling in the sunlight and gave it to his sister. It was seen by a friend of the family and was ultimately discovered to be a 21.25 carat stone.
Instead of just white, engagement ring actually come in a rainbow of colors because engagement rings can be as colorful as any other gem.