What’s in a Ring?
Literally speaking, it would have to be poison or medication, but then that’s jumping ahead of the topic.
Rings as we currently know it are bands worn around the finger, also known as finger rings. Rings may also be worn around the neck, known as neck rings, or the arms, known as arm rings or arm bands.
But no matter how it is used, rings are ornamental in nature. It may be made out of glass, metal, plastic, bone or wood. Some may also be made out of gemstones. Whatever the material rings are made of, it is most commonly worn to symbolize status. The most common we would come across are wedding and engagement rings. These we know to symbolize marriage or marital commitment and the engagement ring to signify the engagement to be married. Related to these rings is the promise ring, which is often given to signify the promise not to court another. Another would be an eternity ring which symbolizes eternal partnership.
Rings have a lot of symbolic meanings. Relationships are most commonly symbolized by rings. Other uses would be to denote a class or standing. Signet rings were worn by nobility and were used to seal documents by imprinting the coat of arms on wax.
Other rings that denote status are Championship rings which are presented to winning sports teams, Class rings which are worn by graduates and alumni, Engineer's rings to remind them of ethical obligations. Ecclesiastical rings may also be known as Bishop rings worn by the church clergies. Some rings are also worn to edify an accomplishment. Mother rings are usually set with a cluster of birthstones of her children, some including birth stones of the father and mother.
Most Famous and notable among rings are the "One Ring" which was one of the three power rings in the story Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. The Ring of the Fisherman is the Pope's ring and the X-ring which is equally notable is a school ring from Saint Francis Xavier University the ring is a tradition wherein it is handed over to graduating students in a ceremony dating back to 1942.
Not all rings are only ornamental by nature. Some have certain uses too. The rosary ring is a band with a series of ten notches to guide the wearer through praying the rosary. Mood rings on the other hand are worn to indicate emotional states of the person wearing it when the ring changes color. Another ring which serves a purpose of usefulness is the finger armor ring that cover the length of the finger and has a bending joint. It takes on the appearance of a medieval armor gauntlet. One other type of use for a ring would be one which has an imbedded pillbox which can encase a pill for medication or most commonly used during the olden days, poison. So with that in mind, What’s in a ring? Any other ring may, well…. not taste as sweet.
