There is no exact history for the ring and it cannot be said exactly when it was used. But what the evidence shows is that the ring originated from ancient Egypt along the evolution of the seal. Seals were actually a sign of power and people who had prominent seals and signet rings were known as powerful people and respected by the people. For this reason, probably the change and evolution of the signet ring and turning it into an ornament also occurred in ancient Egypt.
Also, rich Egyptian women wore rings made of gold, and women of the lower class used rings with cheaper prices, made of silver, bronze, glass or colored pottery.
The Greeks and Romans spent more precision and finesse in making ornamental rings than other civilizations. In ancient Rome, citizens only used iron rings and the use of rings was forbidden for slaves.
With the beginning of the Imperial period (about 31 BC), all these laws were changed or abandoned. Gold rings also became popular, and the law changed the right to use gold rings, which was primarily limited to ambassadors, and was given to official members of the Senate, consuls, and senior government officers.
The ring in the belief of the Greeks
Pellini, in the book “Natural History” says: “The ring is first introduced in Greek mythology. When “Prometheus” dares to steal fire from the sky for the use of earthlings.
Because of this deliberate mistake, “Zeus”, the god of gods, binds him to the top of the “Caucasus” mountain for thirty thousand years. After years of effort, Prometheus succeeds in breaking a part of the rock where the chain was tied and frees himself from captivity. Finally, Zeus relents and frees Prometheus from his chains; But in order for Prometheus not to blaspheme again, Zeus orders him to put a ring of his chain in his finger”.
Although Pliny’s story seems like a legend, it has found a special place in customs. James McCargie writes: “When a Roman slave was freed, he was given a helmet, a vest, and an iron ring. Slaves who were bound with Caucasian chains, when they were freed, had to keep a ring of that chain in their hand as a sign of Prometheus. Slaves were never allowed to wear gold rings”.
Suggested article: Types of luxury corporate gifts for your special customers
Ring symbol of marriage
The Romans did not only use rings to determine social class; They also used it for marriage. During the engagement ceremony, the groom would give a simple iron ring to the bride’s family as a sign of commitment and financial ability to support the bride.
The promotion of wedding rings started in ancient Rome. In fact, today the story of the engagement ring in ancient Rome can be instructive for us. As discussed earlier, the engagement ring was originally a simple iron ring, which later changed to gold and ornamental rings. Encyclopaedia Britannica states: “Giving a ring to mark a betrothal is an ancient Roman custom.” The ring was probably a covenant that the parties had to be loyal to and follow. In Pliny’s time (70 years BC), the ring was still a popular and positive tradition among people, and the use of iron rings in such ceremonies was common, especially in marriage ceremonies. This kind of use of the wedding ring, which was accompanied by the commitment of the parties, was accepted by the church from that time, and from the 11th century AD, good prayers and special gifts were also added to the ceremony.
Ring in Islam
The followers of every religion have a sign for themselves by which they are known; As Christians have a cross and Hindus and Buddhists have red moles on their foreheads and special hair.
Believers are also known by signs. One of these signs is the ring on the right hand. Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.) says: The signs of a believer are five things: praying fifty-one rak’ats, visiting Arbaeen, placing the ring on the right hand and placing the forehead on the ground in prostration, reciting “Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim” in a loud voice. p>Using a ring is a tradition that the beloved Messenger of Islam gave importance to, and after the Holy Prophet, the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon him) and their followers insisted on carrying out this Muhammadan (PBUH) tradition. When the Messenger of God (PBUH) communicated his law to the people, he wrote letters to the great kings and emperors of his era at the end of the 6th year of Hijri and invited them to accept the true religion. Then, in order to make the letter official, Hudstor asked them to make a ring and write his name on it so that he could seal the letters.
Suggested article: Birth month bracelet; Beautiful and modern, gold material, cheap price
This ring, which seems to have been the first ring of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), was always used until the end of his blessed life. After the infallible imams (peace be upon them), they were tied to the throne and had one or more rings. At the beginning of the work, in addition to the reward, the ring was used to formalize the letters and seal them.
Gradually, this Muhammadan tradition became popular among caliphs and sultans in another way. Some of them used precious rings, perhaps for the purpose of boasting and luxury. Gradually, the seals were separated from the rings and keeping the royal seal became one of the posts of the court.
But nowadays…
In today’s world, the jewelry making industry has made great progress and using them has become a common thing. A ring is one of the jewelry that is used a lot and is loved by everyone, especially women. In today’s world, the competition between brands is to make new models of jewelry and provide products with higher quality.
Dangje Art Group is also one of these brands whose artists use 24-karat gold leaf to make jewelry with beautiful and diverse designs that are of high quality and reasonable price.