Types of Rings

Rings have been worn by women and men for thosands of years, sometimes simply for decoration, but often as a symbol of love, wealth, authority or power. Originally made of a simple circular piece of metal, stone, bone or hair, over the centuries rings have evolved into a myriad of different styles and shapes, many of which have their own particualr meaning or symbolism.

Claddagh Ring

A traditional Irish ring worn as a wedding ring or given as a token of love, originating from the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, just outside Galway. The ring's design features two hands (symbolising friendship) clasping a heart (symbolising love), surmounted by a crown (symbolising loyalty).

The way that a Claddagh ring is worn on the hand is usually intended to convey the wearer's romantic availability, or lack thereof. For example, if worn on the left hand, the wearer is married or engaged, whilst if worn on the right hand, with the heart pointing outwards, away from the body, then the wearer is single and may be looking for a relationship. If worn on the right hand with the heart pointing in towards the body, then the wearer is stating that someone has captured their heart.

Cocktail Ring (or Dinner Ring)

A large oversized ring that became popular during the 1940s and 1950s, generally worn by women on the fourth finger of the right hand. They are typically set with dramatic looking precious or semiprecious stones, which could form the image of a flower or even an animal.

Ecclesiastical Ring

A ring worn by bishops of Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and other faiths, as well as cardinals, abbots and nuns.

Engagement Ring

In the west, and engagement ring is traditionally worn by a woman indicating that she is engaged to be married. In other cultures, men may also wear an engagement ring.

Eternity Ring

A ring that is worn as a symbol everlasting love to a partner, and is traditionally presented to the wife by the husband on the first anniversary or at the birth of the first child. Eternity rings consist of a narrow band with a line of diamonds or other gemstones running all the way round, symbolising a continuous circle of love that never ends. When the stones do not continue around the entire ring, , it is known as a half-eternity ring.

Finger Armour Ring

A piece of pewter or sterling silver jewellery popular in the Goth subculture that typically spans from the base of the finger to the middle of the second joint, or just below the nail. It is designed to look similar to a finger-piece from a medieval gauntlet, but is generally more delicate.

Friendship Ring

The name given to a simple ring given to a friend that has no romantic undertone, it is simply worn as a symbol of a close relationship.

Gimmal Ring

Also spelled gimmel ring, a gimmal ring is one that consists of 2 or 3 links or hoops that fit together to form one complete ring, and was popular in the 16th and 17th century for betrothals. The man and his intended bride would each wear one of the hoops during the engagement, and then the 2 hoops were linked together to form the wedding band. The name comes from the Latin 'gemellus', meaning twin.

Mood Ring

A type of ring that contains a 'stone' made of a thermochromic liquid crystal, which changes colour in response to body temperature. It is said by some that body heat fluctuates with the emotional state, and so a mood ring can therefore indicates the wearers' mood. However, variations in ambient air temperature appear to have a greater effect on the temperature of the ring, and no direct correspondence between a specific colour and a particular mood has ever been proved.

Mother's Ring

A type of memorial jewellery worn by a mother, which displays the birthstone of each of her children. These rings are popular Mother's Day gifts, and in some cases, the birthstones of the parents may also be set in the ring.

Mourning Ring

A ring that was popular in Victorian times, which was worn in memory of someone who has died. The ring often contained a black stone, such as jet, and typically bore the name and date of death of the person it was commemorating.

Multi-Finger Ring

A modern style of ring, made popular by hip-hop and 'gangsta' culture that consists of 2 or more conjoined rings, designed to be worn across a number of fingers.

Posie Ring

This type of ring is a simple gold band popular in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries as a lover's gift, which included a short inscription or poem on their outer (or very rarely, inner) surface.

Promise Ring (or Pre-Engagement Ring)

This small, inexpensive ring s is given to a romantic partner to signify a commitment to a monogamous relationship. This type of ring dates back to the 16th century, and may have been given by a man to act as a placeholder until he could afford to get married. However, they remain popular today, when they are often given by younger couples. A promise ring can be worn on any finger, although the ring finger of the right hand is usually preferred.

Purity Ring (or Chastity Ring)

A ring that is worn as a symbol of virginity or of sexual abstinence until marriage. They have become increasingly popular in the US over the past 10 years, especially among Evangelical denominations. The ring is worn with the implication that the wearer will remain sexually abstinent until it is replaced with a wedding ring.

Puzzle Ring

A traditional ring whose design dates back to the Renaissance period, consisting of 3-12 interconnected rings that fit together to form a single band. Once removed from the finger, puzzle rings are very difficult to reassemble.

Poison Ring (or Pillbox Ring)

A type of ring that has a container inside or underneath the bezel, which could be used to hold a pill, poison or another substance. The ring, which became popular in Europe during the 16th century, was used to facilitate the suicide of the wearer in order to escape torture or capture, or to slip poison into an enemy's food or drink.

Regards Ring

A Victorian engagement ring that contained a number of precious stones mounted on the band in the order: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire (thus spelling REGARDS). Other variations of this type of ring included LOVE, spelled out with Lapis lazuli, Opal, Vermarine, Emerald.

Rosary Ring

A finger ring with ten round indentations on the surface and one crucifix, used to represent one decade of a rosary. By rotating the ring on a finger and feeling the marks, the wearer could keep track of place in the prayer.

Signet Ring

A ring that traditionally bore a coat of arms, enabling the wearer to use it to imprint a wax seal on documents. The wearing of signet rings (from Latin 'signum', meaning sign) goes back to ancient Greece, and has continued to the modern day, where they may bear the crest or coat of arms of a school or other organisation.

Solitaire Ring

A ring that is set with a single large stone as a centrepiece, usually a diamond. Solitaire rings are the most popular style of engagement ring.

Sovereign Ring

A large, gold ring that uses a gold sovereign as a primary decorative feature, typically with the obverse face as the visible detail (i.e. the 'heads' side). Sovereign rings may use either replica or genuine tender, and may also use custom coinage bearing imagery such as the Welsh Dragon, St George or the 'Three Lions'.

Thumb Ring

As its name suggests, this type of ring is worn on the thumb. The thumb is seen by some as representing willpower, sexuality and vitality, and thumb rings have been thought to symbolise the freedom of thought and action by the wearer.

Trilogy Ring

A ring that is popular as a wedding anniversary gift, set with three diamonds to symbolise the three stages of a relationship: the past, present and the future.

Watch Ring

This type of ring contains a small analogue or digital watch as its decoration.

Wedding Ring

A metal band traditionally worn by women(but increasingly also by men) to indicate a marital commitment to fidelity. In the UK and many other countries it is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand; in other countries however, it may be worn on the right hand.