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 rings 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.
The custom of giving and receiving finger rings dates back over approximately 6,000 years. Tracing the exact history of this practise is difficult.
The Hittite civilization produced rings including signet rings, only a few of which have been discovered. Old Kingdom Egypt had a variety of finger rings, and a few basic examples have been found, including the famous scarab design. Egyptian rings became more common during the middle kingdom, with increasingly complex designs. As well as metal Egyptians made rings from faience some of which were used as new year gifts. The various Egyptian styles were replaced by Greek and Roman fashions during the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Archaic Greek rings were to some extent influenced by Egyptian rings, although they tended to be less substantial and apparently weren't for the most part used as working signet rings. A lack of locally available gold meant that rings made in the eastern colonies tended to be made from silver and bronze while Etruria used gold.
The classical period showed a shift away from bronze, using more silver and gold. The most typical design of the period involved a lozenge bezel mounting an intaglio device. Over time the bezel moved towards a more circular form.
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. This custom was practically established as the norm during World War II. The use of the fourth finger of the left hand (the 'ring finger') 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. 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.
While the ISO standard defines ring size in terms of the inner circumference in mm various countries have traditional sizing systems that are still used.
After several thousand years of ring manufacture the total number of styles produced is vast. Even cataloging the rings of a single civilization such as the romans presents a major challenge. As a result the following list should be considered to be very limited.
| Ring | Image | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Aqiq ring | A carnelian or agate ring worn by some Muslims in imitation of Muhammad. | |
| Birthstones ring | Usually a slender, simple ring (sometimes consisting of a band), set with the wearer's birthstone, or the birthstone of the wearer's spouse. Those 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. | |
| Cameo (carving) ring |  |
A plain hoop mounted by a table setting, into which is affixed a carved cameo. This ring style is exceedingly ancient and was more commonly worn by men than by women. Ancient 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. The modern cameo ring usually shows the profile of a goddess or a Roman soldier. |
| 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 the Americas. The best known of these are the Super Bowl ring and World Series 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. |
| 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. | |
| Doctoral ring |  |
A gold ring worn by a scholar who earns a doctoral degree at a Danish or Swedish university. In America it is common for priests who have earned their doctorate in theology to wear such a ring on the right hand ring finger. |
| 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. These are often given in lieu of engagement rings, as when former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown purchased one for his wife (as a recompense for not having originally proposed to her with an engagement ring). |
| Finger armor ring | A ring style which spans from the base of the finger to just below the fingernail or middle of the second joint. This type of ring includes a bending joint. | |
| Five Metals ring | Five Metals ring (a.k.a "Kabbalah ring") is suggested by the Talmud as a talisman for luck, and is considered a Kabbalistic appurtenance. Five metals mined from the earth (gold, silver, copper, tin and lead) are to be joined but not alloyed into a ring. It can only be manufactured once a month, "when the moon is in Jupiter", over a five-hour period from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. and only upon the conclusion of the Sabbath (Saturday night). The Five Metals ring has commonly taken the form of a sterling silver ring with tablets of gold, tin, lead and copper set into the bezel. The Talmud states, "Bear [the ring] upon thee, and thou shalt see miracles." | |
| Friendship ring | Friendship rings are used to symbolize a close relationship whether romantic or platonic. Its common usage is as a token of friendship. | |
| 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 | |
| Guard ring (a.k.a ring-guard) | is a slender, slightly tighter-fitting ring designed to be placed on the finger after a large/loose ring, to prevent slippage and ring loss. | |
| 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. |
| Key Ring | A ring with a key mounted on the bezel. Used by the Romans as both a means of carrying a key to their family valuables chest and to demonstrate their status within the family. | |
| Memento mori ring |  |
Largely dating from the 16th to the 17th centuries, memento rings featured a skull and the inscription "Memento mori", sometimes combined with other features. |
| 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". In ancient times wealthy people often bequeathed such rings in their wills. |
| Multi-finger ring | Two or more laterally conjoined rings, designed to be worn on two, three, or four fingers; popularized by hip-hop culture. | |
| Poison ring | A ring consisting of a bezel with a secret compartment used for keeping medication or poison (anachronistic use). | |
| Posie ring | A ring with a lengthy inscription on its outer surface. These were commonly used as engagement and wedding rings. Also referred to as "posy" or "poesy" rings in reference to the line of poetry most commonly used in the inscription. | |
| Pre-engagement ring | A small, inexpensive ring given to a partner, signifying the promise not to court anyone else. | |
| Promise ring | A ring worn to remind a person of a promise. These evolved in conjunction with wedding and religious vow rings in the sense that the ring represented the vow/promise. | |
| Purity ring |  |
A symbol of virginity and a vow to keep virginity in some religious cultures. |
| Puzzle ring |  |
Interlocking rings forming a single band. A famous example is the classic Cartier "Trinity" wedding ring. |
| 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 as a bezel, 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. These came into popular use during World War I as a way for Catholic soldiers to recite the rosary safely. |
| Signet ring |  |
An emblematic ring, often bearing a family coat of arms, some of which are fit for use to imprint a wax seal. In the event a seal or at least a representation of a seal is on the ring, it is called a "seal ring". The signet may bear anything from a custom-designed escutcheon to simple initials, in which case it is known as an initial ring. |
| Sovereign ring | A large solid gold ring set with a gold sovereign. | |
| SS-Ehrenring | Nazi "honour ring" or "ring of honour". A plain silver band decorated with a death's head. Awarded to members of the Nazi SS (Schutzstaffel). A similar ring (in the form of a death's head) was also favoured by the SS-SD (Schutzstaffel-Sicherheitsdienst), and was very secretive in design. There were in fact several different award rings during the Third Reich. | |
| Thumb ring |  |
Originally thumb rings were used as an archery implement mainly in eastern styles of archery. Thumb rings are 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. |
| Watch ring | A small watch fashioned to be worn as a ring. | |
| Wedding ring |  |
A ring presented at the time of marriage to signify espousal and marital commitment. Originally worn only by women, it is now common for both spouses to wear such a ring. |
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