Just the thought of a ring is enough to quicken a woman's heart and turn a man's thoughts to romance. Unlike a pair of earrings, a necklace, or even a bracelet, a ring often has the most powerful significance and sentimental value of any jewelry item.
Rings have had power over people throughout history, from Cleopatra to Princess Diana. From the Hindus and the Greeks to the Ancient Incas and Native Americans, the influence of rings has been dramatic. Rings have been used to confer authority, seal pacts, unite people, heal sickness, prevent ill luck, foretell the future and announce status. They have been worn in memory of loved ones, and worn to praise men and God. Can a simple pair of diamond stud earrings ever have that effect?
 And don't assume that diamonds have always been a girl's best friend. Over the centuries, rings have been adorned with every gem humans have been able to tear out of the earth: Amber and chalcedony were favored in Ancient Rome; the Orient delighted in jade, while turquoise was king in Persia.
It is said that the wearing of rings probably grew out of the custom in the ancient world of wearing cylindrical seals around the neck; over time, they were modified to fit around the finger instead (which certainly sounds much more comfortable).
 Rings haven't been used simply as wedding bands through history. In fact, many different types of rings, with different uses and purposes, have been popular over the centuries. There have been watch or dial rings that allowed you to keep track of all the time you wasted during the day; mirror rings to check your appearance and help you make a good impression; smoke rings with attachments for your cigarette; swivel rings that could be turned on your finger to hide a seal or signet; surprise rings that disguised a mythical or astrological symbol; chatelaine rings linked together to form a chain; curative rings to bring you back to health; memorial rings to commemorate those beyond health; pacifier rings to give an infant something to suck on, and even poison rings to...well, you get the idea.
 The Signet Ring
If you had a signet ring-a ring with a carving on it so you could stamp an image onto another surface - in the ancient world, it would be the absolute last thing you would want to part with. It was more important than the cell phone or palm pilot of today! Kings used them to pass down their power. Merchants had the emblems of their trade carved on them and used them to seal contracts. Signet rings were as good as a signature, and stealing one of them was a serious offense. The mark on a signet ring could enhance one's reputation or condemn one to death, as those who wore rings with the impression of Brutus and Cassius discovered after Julius Caesar's assassination.
Many signet rings had mottoes cut on them, while royal signet rings were lavishly decorated with precious metal, gems and rich enamel. Signet rings remained popular through the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, customarily engraved upon gold and enhanced by carnelians, chalcedonies, lapis lazuli or bloodstones.
Did you know that...
- Women of rank in the Middle Ages wore signet rings as symbols of prestige?
- One of the most famous signet rings belonged to Michelangelo, which boasted a carving of a segment of the Sistine Chapel.
- Lovers had romantic images engraved on their signet rings?
- Some images minted on ancient coins were reproductions of the seals of city magistrates?
- To dream of a signet ring boded well or ill, depending on the nature of the dream?
The Religious Ring
Rings have been a part of religion in many cultures throughout history. Rome's high priests, for instance, wore hollow rings to identify themselves as those exempt from the hard labor of daily life.
When Christianity arrived on the scene, religious rings became hallmarks of the faith. These rings were often decorated with Biblical scenes, episodes from the Life of Jesus, and even creatures such as fish, which were symbolically tied to Christianity.
Papal rings are probably the most famous religious rings in the world today. They are so important that an ecclesiastical signet ring is broken upon the death of the Pope who wore it! The Fisherman's Ring, a massive and ornate gold seal ring, is made for each succeeding Pope.
Wearers of religious rings have always had excellent taste in ring materials: the sapphire has often been the stone of choice, but other stones have been favored, including pearls, garnets, opals, emeralds and rubies.
Did you know that...
- Some religious rings were believed to possess talismanic power?
- In Episcopal rings, the ruby stood for glory, sapphire for chastity and happiness, amethyst for the color of the wine used at the Holy Eucharist and emerald for hope and the Resurrection?
- Today, a nun is given a ring only when she is consecrated to the faith?
- The Hindus had grass rings to officiate at religious ceremonies?
The Nuptial Ring
Rings all throughout history have symbolized the commitment between a man and a woman, whether it was a betrothal, engagement or marriage ring. But when it came to what the ring was made of, cultures have had many different ideas over the years-a Tiffany-set diamond ring, for example, hasn't always been the fashion!
The Romans and the Egyptians, for example, wore rings of iron and brass. Roman brides also wore a ring set with emeralds (representing woman) and rubies (representing man). Early Anglo-Saxons wore a lover's knot ring as a representation of love, faith and friendship (some even had their beloved's hair woven into them!).
Ancient Jewish wedding rings were architectural wonders, displaying gold temples and domes. The old Greek Church bestowed on a woman an iron ring representing man's strength, and bestowed on a man a gold ring representing a woman's pure qualities. Even Shakespeare mentioned nuptial rings - made of turquoise, diamonds and emeralds - in his plays.
 Did you know that...
- The custom of ring giving is traced back to Rome in the 2nd Century, BC? First, iron rings were give, then later gold.
- The Puritans of the English commonwealth fought to abolish the wedding ring because the joints of the fingers were traditionally dedicated Christ, the Virgin and various saints?
- In parts of Ireland the poor had to rent wedding rings and return them after the ceremony?
- During the French Revolution wedding rings often sported the Republican colors of red, white and blue or contained a fragment of the destroyed Bastille?
- In Europe and India wedding rings used to be worn on the thumb?
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Today, the ring goes on the fourth finger of the left hand, thanks to the charming but misguided notion that a vein in that particular finger led to the heart?
   
The Talismanic Ring
What makes a ring magical? In ancient times it could be a ring's previous, close contact with a formidable and power person, or contact with a symbolic representation of such a person. Magic could be conferred upon a ring through its engraved designs or by the influences of the set stones.
Magic rings were used to scare away ghosts, heal disease or foretell the future. Some early cultures inscribed the ring with the symbol of an eye to ward off the Evil Eye.
Animal symbols such as the toad, serpent or dragon were considered powerfully talismanic, and the image of the god Mercury on a ring supposedly conferred miraculous powers to the wearer. To find a talismanic ring was always considered good fortune.
Talismanic rings still exist, even in our supposedly enlightened times. Secret societies, brotherhoods and fraternities all have special rings with precious metals and gems that stand as talismans for the wearer, while giving a clear indication to the other members of the group of where the wearer stands in the hierarchy.
Did you know that...
- In rings red was considered lucky but yellow was not?
- The Ancient Greeks removed talismanic rings from dead people in order to release their souls?
- In the Middle Ages the fortune-telling properties of rings were taken so seriously that rings were suspended from a string to predict the future?
- The Arabs believed rings had enchanted properties that allowed the stones to change color under certain circumstances?
- The ancient Swedes believed that throwing a brass or a steel ring after a phantom on the deserted moorlands made the phantom real?
 The Healing Ring
Some rings were believed to be physically therapeutic, whether it was because of the metal, the stone or the inscription. For example, some
precious metals and stones were believed to prevent or cure diseases and ailments, or provide the antidote for poisons. Stones inscribed with particular letters, characters or the effigies of saints, and set in a ring, were thought to possess healing powers. And certain rings were popularly known to give their wearer the insight to diagnose a disease. During the reigns of both Elizabeth and James in England, medicinal rings were widely used and stories of their powers were widely believed. Besides precious metals and gems, healing rings were made of everything from animal hoofs and horns to copper and metal alloys.
Did you know that...
- Medieval pharmacists took their calling so seriously that they put the sign of their signet ring on the prescriptions of medicine they concocted, to back up their skills?
- Cramp rings, made of gold hoops, were thought to cure cramps, convulsions or even epilepsy?
- Sapphires and garnets were believed to be especially strong deterrents to disease?
- Placing a ring in a jar with a lizard was believed to allow the ring to absorb the power of regenerating sight?
- Solidified quicksilver was believed to cure ulcers?
Rings not only are decorative - they are passkeys or portals into the dimensions of the human imagination. A ring stands as the signature of the wearer, but also shows off the wearer's personality - cluing us into the wearer's intellect, beliefs, aspirations, or even secret desires. Whether displayed as a mark of achievement or status, or worn as a protective agent, the ring is a link to the most intimate corners of the human psyche - if the signs are read correctly, of course!
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