Rings

Jewelry has been worn throughout time for many reasons: to protect against evil or danger, as a magic charm, to adorn the body, or as a practical piece of clothing. Animals in particular were a common subject in early jewelry because they were considered sacred and had mystical powers.

Rings in particular, since their first appearance about 6,000 years ago, have never gone out of fashion, and no other type of jewelry has so many facets and functions. They are the most personal items among jewelry, conveying sentiments like love and affection as well as mourning. Rings frequently signal the owner's marital, professional, and social status as well as his faith, loyalty and wealth.

Magical and protective powers were ascribed to rings, and they could be used as containers for perfume, locks of hair, or relics. Rings served as tokens of affection, gratitude, and commemoration; they even could convey secret messages. They could be worn on every joint of every finger and also attached to necklaces, bracelets, belts, dresses, and hats.


Egyptian Jewelry
1500-900 B.C.
The protective power of jewelry was particularly important in ancient Egypt, where it was never worn just for personal adornment. Jewelry usually provided magical protection for both the wearer in both life and death. On their rings various things were engraved, most commonly of which was the scarab. Typical of the early part of the 15th century in Egypt are
gold signet rings - rings with a carving on them so you could stamp an image or letter onto another surface were used to seal contracts and letters to pass down power. They were used instead of a signature.

Estruscan Jewelry
850-325 B.C.
Estruscans jewelers were known for their remarkable technical skills. They excelled in filigree, repousse, and granulation, a technique they perfected in the early 7th century B.C. A lot of their jewelry seems to be of rare beauty and great value. The majority of the rings that I saw from this period are made of gold and are elaborately embossed, chased and inlaid.

Greek and Roman Jewelry
325 B.C. - 600 A.D.
This jewelry is characterized by the abundant use of gold. Their jewelry is enriched with precious stones now so less attention was paid to adding decorative elements to the metal itself. The Romans used a less lavish style than previously seen, combining a single type or color of gemstone in their rings with a gold setting. The use of coins in jewelry also became really popular at this time. Religious, mythological and heroic scenes were the themes the Greek and Romans used in their work. Snakes in particular symbolized fertility and were believed to ward off evil. Because of the animal's protective associations solid gold rings became some of the most popular types of rings.

Byzantine
Hellenistic and Roman traditions had a great influence on the rise of ostentatious Byzantine jewelry. Intricate filigree and enameling were the most common decorative techniques used in Byzantine jewelry. The use of multicolored gemstones can be seen a lot in their jewelry as well. Byzantine jewelers also continued the ancient Roman practice of incorporating coins into jewelry.


Most of my information came from the Bedazzled exhibition at the Walter's Art Museum and the rest came from books and the internet.