Ring (jewellery)

Rings may be made of almost any hard material: wood, bone, stone, metal, glass, jade, gemstone or plastic.

They may be set with gemstones (diamond, ruby, sapphire or emerald) or with other types of stone or glass.

Rings can be made to sport insignia which may be impressed on a wax seal or outfitted with a small compartment in which to conceal things.

Rings[1] and other types of jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bangles and pendants have been discovered from the 3rd millennium BC Indus Valley civilization.

[4] People in Old Kingdom Egypt wore a variety of rings, of which a few examples have been found, including the famous scarab design.

The most typical design of the period involved a lozenge bezel mounting an intaglio device.

[7] During the early and middle imperial era (first two centuries AD), a typical Roman ring consisted of a thick hoop that tapered directly into a slightly wider bezel.

[9] Rings were highly important in early Germanic cultures, being worn variously on arms, fingers and necks.

[10][11] They further feature prominently in Germanic mythology and legend and are widely distributed in the archaeological record, being frequently found across the Germanic-speaking world between the Migration Period and into the Viking Age.

[13] An increasing use of contracts and other documents requiring formal seals meant that signet rings became more important from the 13th century onwards.

[12] Each finger had a symbolic association or meaning (most of which were lost in antiquity and varied with culture) for the placement of a ring, significant to observers.

This idea was in vogue in the 16th and 17th century England, when Henry Swinburne referred to it in his book about marriage.

), are worn on various fingers, often depending on the intent of the ring's design or attributes of the stone inset.