appears to have been favored in England in the seventeenth century, for
Samuel Pepys in his “Diary,” under date of February 18, 1668, writes
that he had been shown a “ring of a Turkey-stone, set with little
sparks of diamonds.”
A “Trinity Ring,” that is a ring consisting of three intertwined
circlets, was shown in February, 1857, to the Society of Antiquaries in
London by Mr. Octavius Morgan. This specimen, carved, or turned out of
a circular band of ivory, was believed to be one of three executed by
the German ivory carver, Stephan Zick (1639–1715), who is said to have
been the first to make a ring of this type out of ivory, although they
may have been made of gold--no exceptionally difficult task--before
Zick executed his ivory rings.[128] This ring, or one similar to it, is
now in the British Museum, Franks Bequest.
While the rings of the Louis Quinze period were generally of delicate
and beautiful form, the tendency to exaggeration in fashions that
characterized the succeeding Louis Seize period found expression in
rings of disproportionate size. At the same time both the number of
rings in a fine lady’s jewel casket, and the number she would wear at
the same time upon her hand, greatly increased over what was customary
in the preceding reign. Thus Bachaument, in his “Mémoires Secrets,”
states that at the sale of Mlle. de Beauvoisin’s jewels, which took
place November 22, 1784, there were 200 rings rivalling one another in
magnificence. Another French author of this time, M. Mercier, wrote
in 1782 “when one takes the hand of a pretty woman, one only has the
sensation of holding a quantity of rings and angular stones, and it
would be necessary first to strip these off the hand before we could
perceive its form and delicacy.”
The enthusiasm of the early days of the Revolution brought into vogue
rings set with a little fragment of the stone-work of the recently
demolished Bastille; at the same time wedding-rings were enamelled in
red, white and blue, the new Republican colors. At the outset the young
royalists, as a protest, wore rings of tortoise-shell, with the motto,
Domine salvum fac regem, “God save the King.”
A type of ring that became popular during the darkest days of the
French Revolution, the period of the dreadful Reign of Terror, was that
of a large silver hoop with a plain gold bezel on which was graven the
head of some one of the leading spirits of the time, such as Marat, De
Chalier, or De Lepelletier St.-Fargeau.
There are several significant French proverbs regarding rings, of
which we may here note the following: “_Ne mets pas ton doigt en
anneau trop étroit_” (Do not put your finger in too small a ring);
“_Anneau en main, honneur vain_” (A ring on the finger is an empty
honor); “_Bague d’amie porte envie_” (The ring of a lady friend
arouses envy).
Portrait rings were very popular at the time of the French Revolution,
as they afforded an opportunity for the expression of the ardent
devotion to particular personalities characteristic of that troublous
period. Many Washington rings and Robespierre rings were to be seen,
bearing the enamelled portrait of the respective hero, but the most
popular were the Franklin rings, for Franklin’s personal influence,
born of his sterling qualities of insight and common sense, and perhaps
strengthened by the contrast of his cool-headedness with the feverish
excitement of the Paris of that time, was wide and far-reaching.
Hindu tradition tells of the wearing of rings in India in very ancient
times. The earliest forms used by the Brahmans in their forest life,
were woven of _kusa_-grass (_Saccharum spontaneum_), and
even in our time rings of this kind are worn by those assisting at a
religious ceremony, as otherwise the water offered to gods or to the
spirits of ancestors will not be accepted. As to metal rings, Hindu
law assigns those of gold to the index finger and silver rings to the
fourth finger.
A story related in the Hindu epic “Mahabharata” alludes to a trick or
magic practice with rings, denominated _ishika_. A ring was thrown
into a deep well and then recovered in some mysterious way after it had
seemed to be irrevocably lost. The “Mahabharata” in its present form
may date from about 500 A.D. The other great Hindu epic, the
Ramayana of Valmiki, written perhaps as early as 500 _B.C._ even
mentions engraved rings. When Sita, wife of Rama, the hero of the poem,
is abducted by Rávana, the ten-headed Cinghalese giant, Rama sends a
monkey called Hanumán to seek for her, giving him a seal ring as a
token. As soon as the monkey succeeds in finding Sita, he approaches
her holding out the ring and saying, “Gracious Lady, I am the messenger
of Rama. Look, here is his ring engraved with his name.”
In Sanskrit books the following types and kinds of rings are
mentioned:[129]
_Dwi-hirak_ (double diamond).--Rings with a diamond on either
side and a sapphire in the centre.
_Vajra_ (diamond, thunderbolt).--A triangular finger
ornament, with a diamond in the centre and other stones on the
sides.
_Ravimandal._--A ring with diamonds on the sides and other
stones in the middle.
_Nandyávarrta._--A four-sided finger ornament studded with
precious stones.
_Nava-ratna_ or _Navagraha_.--A ring on which the
nine most precious stones have been set. The nine precious
stones in Sanskrit are called: _Hirak_, _Nánikya_,
_Baiduryya_, _Muktá_, _Gomed_, _Bidrum_
or _Prabál_, _Marakata_, _Pushpa-rág_, and
_Indranil_; or the Diamond, Ruby, Cat’s-eye, Pearl, Zircon,
Coral, Emerald, Topaz, and Sapphire.
_Bajra-beshtak._--Ring of which the upper circumference is
set with diamonds.
_Trihirak_ (triple diamond).--Ring with two small diamonds on
the sides and a big one in the centre.
_Sukti-mudriká._--Ring made like the hood of a cobra snake,
with diamonds and precious stones on the upper surface.
_Mudrá_ or _Anguli-mudrá_.--Ring with name engraved upon
it.
These are some of the principal names for finger rings in modern
India:
_Angushtri._--A ring set with stones, called also
_Mundri_ or _Anguthi_.
_Chhallá._--The _chhallá_ is a quite plain hoop or whole
hoop ring (with or without stones), being gold or silver, but the
same all round. Worn also on the toes.
_Angushtárá_ or _Anguthá_.--A big ring with a broad
face, worn on the great toe.
_Khari panjángla._--A set of finger rings of ordinary shape.
_Sháhálami_ or _Khári_.--A ring of long oval shape.
_Birhamgand._--A broad ring.
In Bombay, the local designations for finger rings are:
_Angthi_, _Salle_, _Mohorechi Angthi_ and
_Khadyachya angthya_; toe-rings are named: _Ranajodvi_,
_Jodvi_, _Phule_, _Gend_, and _Masolia_.[130]
[Illustration: Oriental gold ring, large globular bezel with
leaves and flowers in openwork. Said to have belonged to Chief
Samory
British Museum]
[Illustration: Oriental rings. 1, of cast silver; 2, of brass; 3,
of silver; 4–6, Moorish rings; 4, set with turquoise and rubies;
5, with octagonal bloodstone and turquoise; 6, signet-ring
bearing name of owner on a carnelian
Fairholt’s “Rambles of an Artist”]
[Illustration: 1, ring with pendent garnets; 2, silver ring. East
Indian. The loose-hung silver drops jingle as the hand moves
Fairholt’s “Rambles of an Artist”]
[Illustration: Elaborate East Indian ring, with figure of Buddha.
Hoop of peculiar shape to keep the ring from falling off the
finger
Courtesy of Miss Helen Bainbridge]
[Illustration: Rings made by Siamese Bonza, or Priest, from metal
lying about among the idols at Ongchor, Old Cambodia, in 1871
Courtesy of Mr. Walter C. Wyman]
Rings, necklaces, armlets and _Sirpech_ (or tiaras) are made at
Bikánir, and exquisitely light and fine rings of gold and silver are
produced at Jhánsi in the Gwalior territory. An unusual form of ring
ornamentation appears in a silver ring of Indian workmanship, dated in
the fourteenth or fifteenth century. This has a projecting bezel in
the form of a spur, with a revolving swivel. A ring of similar design,
believed to be Venetian, now in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, was
brought from Chalis.[131]
The rings made by the Hindu goldsmiths are in many cases very
elaborately chased and ornamented, in the ornate style characteristic
of Indian jewellery. The women of the Deccan almost universally wear
rings; they are usually of gold, a silver ring being looked upon as
showing meanness on the part of the wearer. There does not appear to be
any preference of one finger over the other for decoration with rings.
One of the most attractive types is a closely-fitting ring to which is
affixed a little mirror, about the size of a silver quarter-dollar;
this may be mounted either in gold or silver, and undoubtedly Hindu
female vanity finds this thumb mirror of some practical use. With
its rich ornamentation a ring of this kind is in itself a pretty
jewel, but would hardly suit Occidental taste on account of its size
and the inconvenience of wearing it. A rather singular fact is that
mirror-rings are sometimes worn on the great toe, where they would seem
to be quite useless; but it has been suggested that as the Hindu women
of the better class commonly have their feet nearly or quite bare when
in their apartments, and have acquired the power to move and use their
feet much more freely than is the case with Occidentals, a toe mirror
might possibly be of some slight utility; still, it seems probable that
they are purely ornamental and came into fashion in imitation of the
thumb-mirrors. Many varieties of toe-rings are made, a special type
being that for wear on the middle toe.[132]
A ring of an unusual form is worn on the great toe of the left foot
by some Hindu married women, as a distinguishing mark of the married
state. Men frequently wear a ring on the big toe for curative purposes,
or to augment their masculine vigor. These toe-rings of the men are not
generally closed circles, but open hoops, so that they can be easily
removed when this is desirable.[133]
[Illustration: INDIAN TOE RINGS OF SILVER, MADRAS PRESIDENCY
1, three views of ring worn on second and third toes of the left
foot; the conventional fish is an emblem of Siva 2, 3, 4, other
toe rings
Journal of Indian Art and Industry, vol. v, 1894]
[Illustration: RICH CINGHALESE MERCHANT, IN GALA DRESS
The immense, round ring on the little finger of his right hand is
a favorite adornment in Ceylon; smaller rings are on the fourth
finger of right hand, and on the little finger of left hand]
The art of the Persian goldsmith in the fifteenth century is
displayed in a ring belonging to one of the splendid collections of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York. It is of massive form
with an immense bezel, richly decorated in openwork; the hoop is
also elaborately chased. The flat surface of the bezel is adorned
with a design in keeping with the ornamentation of its sides and of
the hoop. For a large and massive ring this one is remarkably
well-proportioned and harmonious in design.
A good specimen of the rings worn on state occasions by East Indian
princes was sold in February, 1913, at the American Art Galleries. It
is of gold, but bears no precious stones; the circlet is ornamented
with white enamelled crocodiles, and also with a minute enamelled
figure, within a temple and incased in glass; the bezel of this ring is
decorated in blue, green and red enamel.
While the simpler Chinese rings as a general rule are unset, usually
consisting merely of a plain silver band on which are engraved designs
of various objects, or else coated with ornaments in enamel, the rings
of the Tibetans display a considerable variety of settings, turquoise,
coral, agate, mother-of-pearl, mica and similar stones being used. Few
or none of the true precious stones are to be found in the rings of
these countries. The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago has a
large number of specimens some of which are figured in the accompanying
plate.[134]
A collection of some two dozen rings of artistic Siamese workmanship
were sent to the Chicago Exhibition of 1893, in charge of Prince
Surrya, later Siamese ambassador to France. These rings were of nearly
pure gold, and were ornamented with designs in red, green, and white
enamel, representing animals, fish, and other forms, but never human
figures. They were believed to be of considerable age and historic
value; indeed, they were so highly prized that they were not publicly
exhibited but were kept locked up in a safe, and only rarely displayed
to some especially favored visitor. After the close of the Exhibition
they were safely returned to Siam.
An American traveller in Cambodia, in 1871, succeeded in having a few
rings made for him by a native Buddhist _bonza_, the material
being old metal found lying about among the idols of a temple at
Ongchor. The work of the priest gives evidence of a considerable degree
of skill in design, doubtless derived from examination and study of
native and Indian types of rings. The type having an intertwined bezel
prevails; one massive ring is penannular.[135] An elaborate Burmese
ring has the hoop in the form of a serpent, whose open mouth displays
the death-dealing fangs. Along the body runs a continuous band of
rubies placed in oval settings. The rest of the surface is adorned
with green, red and white enamel--mouth, nose, tail and scales being
brought out in this way. Of two red stones which originally marked the
serpent’s eyes, one has fallen out; on either side of the head is a
small sapphire. This fine ring is in the British Museum.[136]
While fifty years ago in Japan the women of the better classes did not
favor the wearing of finger-rings, it was not infrequently the case
that kitchenmaids and housemaids would wear silver or brass rings. They
are believed to have been influenced by the example of Dutch women in
Nagasaki.[137] At the present day American and European influence is
very slow in making itself felt in the direction of ring-wearing.
In the large oval bezel of a fine Syrian ring is set a paste
representing a topaz. The shoulders expand to form the bezel.
This ring, the lower half of which has been broken off, shows an
exceptionally fine patina; it was of large size and must have been
a striking ornament on the wearer’s hand. As the broad oval extends
across the hoop, not at right angles with it, it must have interfered
slightly with a free use of the fingers near the one on which the ring
was worn.
In the Philippine Islands a type of ring that is made by the natives
has a number of spiral twists, from five to as many as a dozen coils
appearing in these rings. The serpentine form is accentuated by a
pattern of dots or cross-marking, with sometimes the indication of a
conventional flower design. While rather clumsy for wear, these rings
still possess a certain artistic quality. Fine examples are in the
Ethnological Department of the American Museum of Natural History, New
York City.
The ancient city of refuge, Machu Picchu, probably built by the Incas
nearly 2000 years ago on a Peruvian mountain top, was uncovered by
the National Geographic Society--Yale University Peruvian Expedition
of 1912, of which Dr. Hiram Bingham was the director. Among the many
interesting relics found on this unique site were some silver rings,
one being of the twisted type, with the ends free, so as to suit the
size of any finger, while another has been welded or hammered into a
closed circlet. While it is impossible to date these rings with any
approach to exactness, they are undoubtedly examples of the art of
native Peruvian silversmiths prior to the Spanish Conquest.[138]
Rings in great variety are worn in the Congo region and in every part
of Bantu and Negro Africa. There are heavy rings and light ones, simple
hoops and spirals, and they are worn on neck, arm, leg, finger and
toe. They are made of brass, copper, ivory, iron, elephant foot-pad,
and several other materials. At Akkra, and in Liberia, there is quite
a manufacture of gold rings, and, to a lesser extent, of silver rings
also.[139]
An example of the exceptionally large rings sometimes made to
commemorate special occasions, rather than for possible wear, is one
donated to President Pierce by some Californian admirers in 1852. This
somewhat ambitious production scarcely answers the requirements of a
high standard of art, but its decoration offers a great variety of
appropriate designs illustrating life in the Far West in the middle
of the past century. The ring is of solid gold and weighs something
over a pound, thus having a mere metal value of about $250. On square
surfaces cut on the circlet are a series of designs intended to present
an epitome of California’s early history; the native animals in a
wild state, the Indian warrior armed with bow and arrow, and a native
mountaineer; then comes a Californian, riding a horse at full speed
and casting his lasso; to him succeeds the miner with pick and shovel.
The bezel is engraved with the arms of California; it is hinged and
when opened reveals a kind of box having nine compartments divided
by golden bars. In each compartment is a characteristic specimen of
one of the principal ores found in California. Inside the circlet has
been engraved the inscription: “Presented to Franklin Pierce, the
Fourteenth President of the United States.”[140] What may be called a
presidential ring is that depicted in the effigy of Abigail Power
Fillmore, wife of President Fillmore (1850–1853), a quaint wax figure
in the Wives of Presidents series, shown in the United States National
Museum, Washington D. C. In this she is shown wearing a handkerchief
ring.
[Illustration: Ring given to President Franklin Pierce in 1852 by
citizens of California
“Gleason’s Pictorial Magazine,” December 25, 1852]
[Illustration: Series of old rings worked up to form a pendant
Jewelers’ Circular-Weekly, December 8, 1909]
[Illustration: RINGS FROM THE ALEXANDER W. DRAKE COLLECTION, SOLD
AT THE AMERICAN ART GALLERIES IN MARCH, 1913
1, silver ring of East Indian workmanship. 2, massive Tartar
finger ring of fine gold. 3, copy in silver of the betrothal ring
of Martin Luther, a gift of Richard Watson Gilder. 4, finger
ring with precious stone setting and two irregularly-shaped
pearls. Pendant shows the bust of a bearded man in armor. 5,
gold betrothal ring. Two hands holding a crowned heart. Type
used by Galway fisherman from the Thirteenth Century and called
a “Claddugh Ring.” 6, openwork gold ring. 7, old Chinese gold
ring--oval with Chinese characters, on either side a chiseled
bat. 8, Moorish finger ring of fine gold. Large shield with
characteristic ornamentation. 9, gold ring with intaglio of a
shepherd and goat cut on a light sard. 10, square gold ring, with
bead groups in centre and at corners, the central part in raised
openwork. 11, gold ring. French. Heart-shaped bezel set with
Watteau figure in repousse, under crystal, and surrounded with
bits of green and white crystal between small flowers of gold.
12, silver finger ring. Two hoops linked together by true-lovers’
knot.]
An unusually large ring was worn by the well-known theatrical
manager, Sheridan Shook. It was set with an amethyst an inch long by
three-quarters of an inch broad and half an inch deep, and weighing two
and a half ounces. The letter S was engraved in the stone and inlaid
with small diamonds. This immense ring with its massive gold setting
can hardly be termed a great work of art, but it is unique in its way
and was greatly valued by its owner, who only ceased to wear it when
ill-health and weakness made it too much of a burden.
The extensive and remarkable collections of the late Alexander Wilson
Drake, which were disposed of at the American Art Galleries in New
York, March 10th to 17th, 1913, comprised a fine collection of finger
rings, illustrating a large variety of forms and periods. There were
in all nearly 800 examples, set and unset. There were betrothal rings,
memorials rings, gimmal rings, puzzle rings, rings of Roman, French,
German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Irish, Scandinavian, English and
American workmanship, and many Oriental rings, Sassanian, Indian,
Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Gypsy and Moorish, one of the latter being
a gold circlet with the twelve signs of the zodiac engraved in high
relief around it.
The personality of the collector added greatly to the charm of this
collection for all who had known him. As art editor of the _Century
Magazine_, and in a thousand other ways, no one had labored more
enthusiastically and successfully in the cause of art encouragement and
art education, and his death constituted a real loss for the progress
of art in America.
The valuable and carefully chosen collection of gem stones set
in rings, which was made by the late Sir Arthur Herbert Church
(1834–1915), has been presented by his widow, Lady Church, to the
trustees of the British Museum and is shown in the Natural History
building.[141]
Of the 18 examples in the British Museum collection of the interesting
class of rings cut out of a single stone, The collection comprises 169
specimens, 45 of them zircons, fully illustrating the wide range of
color to be found in this gem-stone; two of them are of a beautiful
sky-blue. The following list gives the number of rings for each mineral
species:
Corundum 12
Spinel 17
Chrysoberyl 8
Quartz (amethyst, tiger-eye,
chrysoprase) 3
Peridot 1
Spodumene 1
Labradorite 1
Beryl 4
Andalusite 1
Tourmaline 20
Opal (precious, fire, black
and milk) 10
Zircon 45
Phenacite 5
Enstalite 1
Moonstone 2
Garnet 19
Topaz 8
Cordierite 2
Sphene 1
Turquoise 1
Only three of the rings are set with more than a single stone.
Several belonged to the collection of Sir Hans Sloane in 1753, five of
them being archers’ thumb-rings, of agate, carnelian, mocha-stone, or
jasper. A green jasper ring of this type is thus entered in the Sloane
Manuscript catalogue: “A thumb piece for defending it from being hurt
by the bowstring, from Turkey.”
A remarkable, though decidedly eccentric ring of the _art nouveau_
style of René Lalique shows in the long, irregularly oval bezel, a
full-length, nude female figure cut in very high relief out of a bluish
rock-crystal; set at one side about the middle of the figure is a round
pearl, apparently of immense proportions as compared with those of the
human body.[142]
Not only are there the watch-bracelets which have been so extensively
worn of late years, but minute ornamental watches have been set in
finger-rings, where they can be consulted with even greater ease than
when worn on the wrist. The watch-face is surrounded by a bordering
of small jewels. Apart from their practical value, the “watch-rings”
are pretty and dainty objects in themselves, and lend a new element of
variety to the long list of ring forms.[143]
There is in the collection of the Imperial Kunstgewerbe Museum, Vienna,
an exceptionally fine example of the watch-ring, made by Johann Putz,
of Augsburg, in the seventeenth century. It has a detachable cover,
cut from an emerald, on which the Austrian double-eagle has been
engraved. In the same collection are two sun-dial rings; one, made in
the seventeenth century, has a lid figuring a hedgehog, studded with
black diamond lozenges; the other, a sixteenth century ring, bears
a Greek inscription to the effect that “time removes all things and
brings forgetfulness;” the sun-dial is on the inner side of this ring,
which is of silver gilt. There is also a gold astrolabe ring, which
when closed looks like an ordinary one; but when the connected circles
are opened up, the ring constitutes a veritable astrolabe.[144]