A ring is a circular piece of jewellery, typically made of metal that is worn as ornamental jewellery. When worn as an ornament elsewhere, the body part is specified within the term, e.g., earrings, neck rings, arm rings, and toe rings; when worn as an ornament elsewhere, the body part is specified within the term, e.g., earrings, neck rings, arm rings, and toe rings. Bands worn loosely, like a bracelet, are not rings because they do not fit snugly around or in the part of the body they ornament. Rings may be made of nearly any hard material, including wood, bone, stone, metal, glass, gemstones, and plastic. Gemstones (diamond, ruby, sapphire, or emerald) or other forms of stone or glass may be used to set them.
Rings have symbolic roles surrounding marriage, extraordinary accomplishment, high status or authority, membership in an association, and the like, notwithstanding the fact that some wear them as mere ornaments or as conspicuous displays of wealth. Rings can be customised to include insignia, which can be imprinted on a wax seal or fitted with a small compartment for storing objects. Rings are often endowed with divine or supernatural meaning in myth, fable, and literature. Finger rings dated from about 2500 BC have been discovered in tombs in Ur. The Hittites made rings, including signet rings, of which only a few have been found.
People in Old Kingdom Egypt wore a variety of finger rings, including the famous scarab design, of which a few examples have been discovered. During the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, rings became more popular, with increasingly complex designs. Egyptians made faience rings as well as metal rings, some of which were given as new year gifts. During the Ptolemaic dynasty, Greek and Roman fashions supplanted native styles. Egyptian rings influenced archaic Greek rings to some extent, but they appeared to be less substantial and were not widely used as functioning signet rings.
Since gold was not readily available in the eastern colonies, rings were made of silver and bronze, while the Etruscans used gold. The classical period saw a shift away from bronze and toward the use of silver and gold on a larger scale. A lozenge bezel with an intaglio system was the most popular design of the time.The bezel evolved into a more circular shape over time.
A turkish rings in Pakistan during the early and middle imperial period (first two centuries AD) was a thick hoop that tapered directly into a slightly wider bezel. An etched oval gem will be set in the bezel, with the gem’s top only rising slightly above the ring’s surrounding content. In formal academic parlance, such rings are known as Henig II and III/Guiraud 2, or simply as Roman rings to modern jewellers. In general, in the third and fourth centuries AD, Roman rings became more elaborate.
During this time, wearing several rings on each hand and each finger was trendy. Rings were often made of copper-based alloys, silver, or gold during this period. [10] After 1150, gems became common, along with the belief that certain gems could support or protect the wearer in various ways. [10] Lombardic script was used to engrave rings until about 1350, when it was replaced by Gothic script. [10] Some of the inscriptions were devotional in nature, while others were romantic. [nine] [11] French was the chosen language for romantic inscriptions. [nine] From the 13th century onwards, signet rings became more common as the use of contracts and other documents requiring formal seals increased.
Every finger had a symbolic connection or significance for the location of a ring that was important to observers (most of which were lost in antiquity and varied with culture). In most of the world, the fourth digit or ring finger of the left hand has been the standard location for betrothal, engagement, and wedding rings, while in some countries the right hand finger is used. During World War II, this tradition became basically the standard. The use of the left hand’s fourth finger (the ‘ring finger’) is linked to an old theory that the ring finger of the left hand is connected to the heart by a vein called the vena amoris, or vein of love. When Henry Swinburne mentioned it in his book about marriage in the 16th and 17th centuries, it was a common concept in England. It dates back to the time of Aulus Gellius, who quoted Appianus as saying that the ancient Egyptians discovered a fine nerve connecting the fourth finger to the heart.
Rings have been repurposed on occasion to hang from bracelets or necklaces .On the left pinky or little finger, the signet ring is usually worn. A birthstone ring, also known as a “birthday” stone ring, is worn on the first finger of the right hand and represents the month and day of the week in which the bearer was born. Amulet rings are worn on different fingers for a number of reasons, ranging from security (pentacle rings) to enhancing personal attributes (wisdom, trust, social status, etc.). This is also based on the design purpose of the ring or the characteristics of the stone inset. While it was once believed that wearing amulet rings on specific fingers for specific purposes increased their strength, most people simply wear them on any finger that fits.
Thumb rings are a symbol of an archer and were originally worn to shield the thumb from injuries caused by firing arrows. Although the ISO norm describes ring size as the inner circumference (measured in millimetres), conventional sizing systems are still used in some countries. Sizing beads are small metal beads that are attached to the inside surface of a ring to keep it in place against the finger. They have the advantage of being quickly added and removed.