Gold Rings- A Guide

Selecting a gold ring is not as easy as it looks like. You need to be careful when choosing a ring because you are going to invest your hard earned money and so it should be something that you won’t get tired of after a couple of years. So take your time and try on as many designs before coming to a final decision, and being an intelligent customer if you are purchasing rings online then you definitely should know what your options are.

First and foremost, you have to keep in mind the budget, second you have to the material you want your ring to be made of. 

What is a Ring?

A ring is basically a circular band of precious metals like gold, silver, or some other industrial metals like brass or iron, that is worn on a finger. The concept of wearing rings since that has moved on to other body parts like the toes, the ears and the nose. Besides adorning the body, rings have long served as a symbol of authority, fidelity and social status of humans.

A ring is made of three parts: the circle or some call it a hoop; the shoulders, and the bezel. The circle circle of the ring can have a circular, semi circular or square cross-section, or it can also be shaped as a flat band depending on the design. The shoulders consist of a thickening or enlargement of the circle that supports the top part or the bezel. The bezel being the top part of the ring is designed to hold a gem or some other sort of ornament or even feature a design or a pattern.

The History of Gold Rings

Rings have a rich, meaningful and old history. The earliest of rings were found by the archaeologists, in the tombs of ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians primarily used certain designs in their rings like the signet, or otherwise known as seal rings, in which a seal was engraved on the bezel that was used by the wearer to authenticate documents. Egyptian seal rings mostly had the name and the titles of the owner deeply engraved in hieroglyphic characters on an oblong gold bezel. The Ancient Greeks on the other hand, were more prone to use the rings typically for decorative purposes and during the Hellenistic period the bezel began to hold gemstones or individual cabochon stones such as garnets, peridots, carnelians, vitreous pastes, etc.

In Ancient Rome, rings were worn as an important symbol of social status. In the early centuries of the Roman Republic, most of the rings were casted of iron, and the wearing of gold rings were restricted to certain high classes, such as politicians and scholars who had a high position in the office. But by the 3rd century BC, the privilege of wearing gold rings was extended to the class of knights. And by the 3rd century AD, during the Roman Empire, any person except for the slaves could wear a gold ring. The Romans are also the one who are believed to have began the custom of wearing betrothal rings or engagement rings, as a symbol of a promise of marriage to the member of the opposite sex. It was mostly given to the females and the custom continues to be so.

Throughout the European Middle Ages, the above-mentioned signet ring was held in great importance in terms of religion, legal and commercial transactions done at that time. The Roman Catholic Church awarded episcopal rings to the newly appointed bishops and the papal rings were given by the popes to the cardinals. The use of papal rings continues to this date, for instance, an enormous papal ring which is called the Fisherman’s Ring- made of gilded bronze and engraved with the image of St. Peter fishing is traditionally used by the pope of the Vatican as a seal to authenticate the documents.

Besides these types, there were memorial rings, which are generally engraved with the name, date of death or even the effigy of a close person who died. Rings were also used as vials to contain poison for suicide or homicide in the earlier days. 

Gold rings are also used as amulets or talismans to protect the wearer from negative energies. Most of the time, the gemstones which are believed to possess metaphysical healing and magical powers are set in gold to amplify their powers. 

Gold Rings in the present

Gold rings nowadays come in a plethora of designs. With the changing scenarios of shopping, jewellery is now available online as well. There are many features that are provided by these companies who sell jewellery through online means like trial at home, paying the amount in easy installments, etc. The increasing prices of 22K gold, has also pushed the major population in India to go for 14k or 18K jewellery which are more sturdy and affordable than others.

Gold rings in the present are not just a symbol of wealth, status and marriage but they evolved to become a fashion accessory. You can find the plain designs which have minimal engravings or the embellished ones with precious and semi precious gemstones like diamonds or emeralds.