Rings in literature
Writers have described finger rings as ornaments of power,
wealth, affection and symbols of loyalty, love and status. Several beliefs and superstitions
are associated with finger rings. They keep demons away. Protect the wearer
from evil doers, accidents and miseries. Correct planetary influences. Bring
good luck. Cure diseases. Those powers are attributed not to the rings
themselves but often to the materials with which those are made, inscriptions
on them, the powers of the gems or stones that go into the making.
There are many who believe that chanting of certain hymns and mantras while wearing finger rings enhance the magical power of the rings they wear. Rings have been used even for spying. There was a Soviet spy who had hidden camera in his ring.
Rings and Craftsmen
Metal-smiths are some of the oldest craftsmen engaged in
finger ring making. Other creative artisans like carpenters, stone workers,
bone carvers, gem and jewelry makers and designers have contributed to the
development of this ornamentation. Museums in every continent have rings made
of iron, stone, porcelain, bone, horn, silver and gold with or without jewels.
Humanity has believed
for long that circular shape represents infinity and perfection. Rings are also
a status symbol. In ancient Rome, commoners wore rings of iron and bronze. In
that country there was a time when wearing a gold ring was a prerogative of the
rich.
Rings in my life
Finger rings had entered my life in different forms at
different times. In the native village where I was born, there were many
festivals in which caparisoned elephants were a great attraction. Elephants
have thick black hairs at the tips of their tails roughly 1/12th of
an inch thick, 6 to 12 inches long. In my time many students in the primary classes wished to have
a ring made of that elephant tail hair; I too had one.
My cousins and I had many occasions to hear Ramayana
recitation. From that the story of a ring comes to mind; a scene where Hanuman
showing a signet ring to Sita to prove that he was a genuine messenger of
Rama.
Mahabharata narrates
the story of another royal ring of affection king Dushyanthan gave to
Shakuntala. She loses the ring causing
her a period of hardships. Eventually a
fisherman finds the ring from the stomach of a fish. In western culture too there
are two similar narration of lost rings later recovered from fish; one
pertains to Solomon the wise and the other of a Pope who voluntarily
threw his ring in to a river.
While at secondary school, after learning in a geography
lesson that people of Kashmir weaved Pashmina scarves that could be drawn
through a ring, several of us attempted pulling into and out of a ring our
hankies to test the quality of our handkerchiefs.
In adulthood, during our courtship period my girlfriend
gifted a diamond studded ring. I am wearing it till this date.
Three years ago I had an opportunity to witness a relative
performing a religious ceremony. It was purportedly to liberate the soul of his
father who died several years ago. At the beginning of the ritual, the priest
drew a darbha-grass (Desmostachya bipinnata) and made a ring out of it and
asked the participant to wear it on his ring finger. In the Vedas and
Upanishads there are several mentions of such rings made of darbha , the sacred
Vedic grass.
In the year 2013 I had a brief meeting with Rita, an expert
ring maker, who sometimes worked as a per-diem crafts and jewelry making
trainer at Michaels, the famous retail chain. For those of you who do not know
of it, Michaels is North America’s largest retailer of arts, crafts and framing
materials. They have over 1200 retail outlets and still keep expanding their
operations.
I had known since Jan 2014 David and Linda, the owners of
Just 4 U rings, about who I had mentioned in my last post.
Engagement and Other Diamond Rings
The rings that carried signs of nobility and power of
authority are known as signet rings. There are several mentions of signet
rings, nose-rings and wedding rings in Bible and Hindu religious texts. Islam has some directions about when to wear a finger ring and remove it from
hand.
An engagement ring is a big thing in the western culture. Diamonds
are an ingredient part of wedding rings. 5 Cs of a gem from the end users’ point
of view are color, cut, clarity, carat weight and cost. There are several books
explaining all these aspects to guide a first time buyer of a diamond ring. If
you plan to buy an engagement or wedding ring, buying a couple of those books
would be money well spent.
On the social networking site Reddit I noticed that there
are many who believe the money being spent on an engagement ring can well be
put to better use like a memorable honeymoon trip or for paying advance to buy a
home. Money conscious women say directly to their men that it is not necessary
to spend a lot on a ring – that they would be pragmatic with a ring in the
range of $50 – $1000. Often the need for a ring arises due to social pressure
to show it to curious friends and relatives!
I also watched a humorous video on You Tube titled Why
Engagement Rings Are a Scam. The post conveys that diamonds are intrinsically worthless,
opposite to what we have heard so often that diamonds are forever. It claims that
it was due to a huge advertisement campaign during last century by a corporation.
Share your thoughts on this topic. Your friends may like to
know your views and even benefit from your suggestion to make a decision.
