Eight Sacred Moments of the Armenian Wedding
From the first blessing to the final gift, every moment of an Armenian wedding has its jewel — a quiet mark of intent, meant to be worn long after the celebration ends.
For the bride · for the groom · for the kavor
The Engagement Gift Exchange
The groom's family presents the nshan — the betrothal gift that turns a spoken promise into something a family can hold. In the Avag Line, this becomes a composed set built around the ring: warm, artisan-crafted gold meant to be worn through a marriage and passed down after it. It is the moment the families have waited for.
Explore the Avag Line
The Engagement Blessing
The groom's family calls on the bride's home for the intimate ceremony that opens the wedding journey. Tea is poured; by custom, nothing is sealed until her father gives his word. In that first quiet agreement, the first piece of jewelry speaks the family's intent.
The Wedding Day Procession
The groom's party, led by the kavor, delivers richly decorated gift trays to the bride's home — cognac, chocolate, flowers, jewelry, shoes, and the veil. The jewelry in the sini represents the family's investment in this new chapter.
The Crowning Ceremony
Crowns are set on the couple's heads — from a woven cord of red, green, and white to gold bright with stones — and for this day they are a royal pair. The kavor stands between them with the hand cross raised, and the couple drinks from a single, shared cup.
Ceremonial heritage piecesFrom the blessing to the feast, from the crowns to the gold — every piece of jewelry in an Armenian wedding carries a voice.
Eight moments. One ceremony. Centuries of meaning
Craftsmanship since 1991. An atelier since 2001
Avagyans Jewelry was founded in 2001 by Karen Avagyan, when he left the Yerevan Jewelry Plant to open a bench of his own. His path began in 1991 — the year of Armenian independence — training at the plant and refining his craft alongside the best masters in Yerevan.
Today the founder's brother, master goldsmith Armen Avagyan, keeps the bench; Karen leads the client side and still works the bench himself; and Karen's son Samvel — the second generation — leads the house. The house is named for Avag, the family's great-great-grandfather, who came to Armenia from Van after the Genocide.
The Gold Gifting
At the reception, the gold is given — a heavy bracelet, a necklace, a cross laid in the hand. Gold here is more than wealth. It is a wish for protection and good fortune, pressed into something that lasts. Each piece becomes a blessing the bride will carry long after the day is done.
The Wedding Bands
Exchanged during the ceremony under the blessing of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The bands are worn as a continuous reminder of the vows spoken beneath the crowns.
Armenian wedding bands
The Dowry Traditions
The bride's family assembles the jhez — jewelry and linens that will accompany her into the new household. These are not gifts for display. They are heritage passed to the next generation.
The Kavor's Gift
Planning an Armenian Wedding?
Our Heritage Advisors in Yerevan understand every tradition. Speak with us about pieces for each moment of your celebration.