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→History of rings: the second word of this article is "finger" and the rest of the article focuses on that. Rings in general is way to meta. |
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The custom of giving and receiving finger rings dates back over approximately 6,000 years. Other ring-shaped jewellery is not always so easy to trace.<ref>Jones, William, (1890) ''Finger Ring Lore''.</ref> |
The custom of giving and receiving finger rings dates back over approximately 6,000 years. Other ring-shaped jewellery is not always so easy to trace.<ref>Jones, William, (1890) ''Finger Ring Lore''.</ref> |
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[[File:Earings Ancient Egypt.jpg|thumb|left|140px|Ancient Egyptian earrings]] |
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===Ancient Near East=== |
===Ancient Near East=== |
Revision as of 01:19, 4 March 2012
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around the finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as earrings, arm rings, toe rings and neck rings.
Rings can be of almost any material: metal, plastic, wood, bone, glass, gemstone to name a few. They may be set with a stone of some sort, which is often a precious or semi-precious gemstone such as diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald, but can also be of almost any material.
History of rings
The custom of giving and receiving finger rings dates back over approximately 6,000 years. Other ring-shaped jewellery is not always so easy to trace.[1]
Ancient Near East
The Hittite civilization produced rings including signet rings, but few have been found.[2] Old Kingdom Egypt made use of finger rings, and a few basic examples have been found.[2] Egyptian ring wearing appears to have become more common in the middle kingdom with increasingly complex designs as time goes on.[2] Larger-sized examples started to appear.[2] The various Egyptian styles where replaced by Greek and Roman fashions during the Ptolemaic dynasty.[2]
Finger-ring wearing, choice of fingers
The fourth digit or ring finger of the left hand has become the customary place to wear a wedding ring in much of the world, though in certain countries the right hand finger is used.[3] This custom was practically established as the norm during World War II.[4] The use of the fourth finger of the left hand is associated with an old belief that the left hand's ring finger is connected by a vein directly to the heart: the vena amoris or vein of love. This idea was known in 16th and 17th century England, when Henry Swinburne referred to it in his book about marriage.[5] It can be traced back to ancient Rome, when Aulus Gellius cited Appianus as saying the ancient Egyptians had found a fine nerve linking that particular finger to the heart.[6]
Styles of ring
Ring | Image | Usage |
---|---|---|
Aqiq ring | A carnelian or agate ring worn by some Muslims, especially Shi'ah, in imitation of Muhammad. | |
Brass Rat | File:Brass Rat 1986 BezelA.jpg | A unique class ring worn by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, bearing the image of the school's mascot, a beaver[7] . |
Birthstones ring | Usually a slender, simple ring (sometimes consisting of a band), set with the wearer's birthstone, or the wearer's spouse. These like the Mother's ring can be worn set with various birthstones. Some couples wear birthstones set with a wedding anniversary month birthstone as well as other commemorative stones. This kind of simple stone-set ring is in general most popular with men. | |
Cameo ring | A plain hoop mounted by a table setting, into which was affixed a carved cameo (in profile). This ring style is exceedingly ancient and was more commonly worn by men than by women. Most commonly, the cameos depicted pagan gods, Christian saints and even self-portraits. Multi-coloured stone and often marble or porphyry was most desirable, as it produced a striped, layered or three-dimensional effect. | |
Championship ring a.k.a. sports ring | A ring presented to members of winning teams in professional sports leagues as well as college tournaments in America, Mexico and Canada. The best known of these is the Superbowl ring. Also, in professional American sports leagues—such as the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB)—the runner-ups of the league championship game/series is awarded a ring, being the champion of their conference (sub-league). | |
Claddagh ring | An Irish friendship, courtship or engagement ring. It is traditionally used to indicate the state of romantic availability. In recent times it is commonly worn as a wedding ring. In centuries past, this ring was bequeathed from mother to daughter, though men also wore it. | |
Class ring | Worn by students and alumni in commemoration of their graduation. | |
Doctoral ring | A gold ring worn by a scholar who earns a doctoral degree at a Danish university or a Swedish university. | |
Cocktail ring | An oversized ladies' ring with a large center stone often surrounded by tiny stones. Nearly any oversized ladies' ring may be termed "cocktail". This is the most common type of costume jewellery ring and is also known as a cluster ring and dinner ring. | |
Ecclesiastical ring | A religious ring, either of authority for clerics or as some other special religious symbol. When worn by bishops or higher-ranking priests, it is called "Episcopal ring". | |
Engagement ring | A ring given to and worn by a woman signifying her engagement to be married. | |
Eternity ring | A ring symbolizing eternity with a partner. | |
Finger armor ring | Typically spans from the base of the finger to just below the nail or middle of the second joint and includes a bending joint. This is a very modern and restricted fashion statement. | |
Friendship ring | Friendship rings are used to symbolize a close relationship that has no romantic undertone. | |
Gay Pride ring (a.k.a. "Rainbow ring") | Representing gay pride, usually a band, either set with seven stones or inlaid with seven enamelled lines, in the seven colours representing the Rainbow flag (LGBT movement). In decades past, a stone-set ring worn on the right hand ring finger or the pinky of either hand represented a call for gay equality. | |
Gimmal ring | Ring made of 2 or 3 hoops that are hinged at the back and meant to interlock and open; popular for betrothals in 16th and 17th century Europe | |
Iron Ring, a.k.a. Engineer's Ring | Ring worn by American and Canadian engineers, after swearing the Engineer's Oath. This is often in the form of a crudely worked piece of iron; modern rings tend to be sleek steel, some with etched geometric designs. The ring is meant to be worn on the pinky (little) finger of the dominant hand at all times. This ring has been loosely associated with Rudyard Kipling. | |
Memento mori ring | Largely dating from the late 16th century and through the 17th they featured a skull and the inscription "Memento mori" sometimes combined with other features.[8] | |
Mood ring | A novelty ring which changes colour in response to body temperature, using a thermochromic liquid crystal. | |
Mother's ring | A ring worn by a mother displaying the birthstone of each of her children, and sometimes including those of the mother and father. | |
Mourning ring | A ring worn in memory of someone who has died. Also commonly called a "memorial ring". | |
Multi-finger ring | Two or more laterally conjoined rings, designed to be worn on two, three, or four fingers; popularized by hip-hop culture. | |
Pinky ring | A ring worn on the 'pinky' ("little" or "fifth") finger. | |
Posie ring | A ring with a short inscription on its outer surface. These were commonly used as engagement and even wedding rings. Also referred to as posy or poesy rings | |
Pre-engagement ring | A small, inexpensive ring given to a partner, to promise not to court a rival. | |
Promise ring | A ring worn to remind a person of a promise. | |
Purity ring | A symbol of virginity in some religious cultures. | |
Puzzle ring | Interlocking rings forming a single band. A famous example is the classic Cartier "triple" wedding ring. | |
Poison ring | A ring consisting of a bezel with a secret compartment or made in the form of a container, used for keeping medication or poison (anachronistic use). | |
Regards ring | A Victorian engagement ring with an implicit acrostic: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire. | |
Rosary ring | Ring worn around the finger with 10 indentations (or protrusions) and a cross, representing one decade of a rosary. The rings are used to keep track of place in the prayer by rotating the ring on a finger and feeling the marks. | |
Signet ring | An emblematic ring, often bearing a family coat of arms, some of which are fit for use to imprint a wax seal. More commonly, the signet may bear anything from a custom-designed escutheon to simple initials. The latter is commonly known as an initial ring. | |
Sovereign ring | A typically large, gold ring, set with a gold sovereign as its decorative feature. | |
SS-Ehrenring | "honour ring" or "ring of honour". Awarded to members of the SS (Schutzstaffel). A similar ring (in the form of a death's head) was also favoured by the SS-SD (Shutzstaffel-Sicherheitdienst), and was rumoured to be very secretive in design. There were in fact several different award rings during the Third Reich.[9] | |
Thumb ring | This is worn on the thumb and is an extremely ancient custom. | |
Toe Ring | Toe rings have a peculiar function in India. They are considered a customary ornament to be worn by married women.[10] | |
Watch ring | A small watch made to be worn as a ring. | |
Wedding ring | A ring presented in a marriage ceremony to signify marital commitment. Originally worn only by women, it is now common for both spouses to wear such a ring. |
Notable individual rings
- Iffland-Ring (presently held by Swiss actor Bruno Ganz.)
- Hans-Reinhart-Ring (presently held by actor Christoph Marthaler.)
- Ring of the Fisherman a.k.a Papal Ring, the signet ring of office of the Pope.
Other types
- Arm rings
- Neck rings
- Toe rings are smaller rings worn on any of the toes
- Earring
See also
- Ring size
- Ring finger
- Birthstones
- Ring of O
- Seal of Solomon (Solomon's ring, a.k.a ring of Solomon)
- Ring of Gyges
- Torc, or neck ring
- Posie ring
- Titanium ring
- Jewellery cleaning
- Scarf rings[1]
Notes and references
- ^ Jones, William, (1890) Finger Ring Lore.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Gerald; Scarisbrick, Diana (1978). Finger Rings From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. Ashmolean Museum. p. 31. ISBN 0900090545.
- ^ Kunz, George Frederick, (1911) Rings for the Finger.
- ^ McCarthy, James Remington, (1945) Rings Throughout the Ages.
- ^ Swinburne, "Treatise of Spousal", 1680
- ^ Gellius, Attic Nights, X, 10
- ^ McGann, Matt. "The Years of the Rat". Associate Director of Admissions. MIT. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Taylor, Gerald; Scarisbrick, Diana (1978). Finger Rings From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. Ashmolean Museum. p. 76. ISBN 0900090545.
- ^ http://www.germaniainternational.com/ss3.html
- ^ http://books.google.co.in/books?id=CaRVePXX6vEC&pg=PA113&dq=toe+ring+india&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ab_rTtrsGYXJrAfM-bWRCQ&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=toe%20ring%20india&f=false