Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-04-17
FINGER RINGS.
Voted Rings of Antiquity-Ring Super
sEEtiGns.

SEET1GDSs
Finger rings are of the greatestantiq
Uity and of universal fashion. One of the
colossal figures of antiquity is Suphis,
or Cheops, King of Memphis, who
during his lifetime caused the Great
Pyramid to be built for his tomb.
Every decree connected with the build
ing of the Great Pyramid, or with the
thousands of men employed on it, was
sealed with the signet ring Of Suphls.
No other finger ring was ever connected
with such a vast human work. The
Great Pyramid, which may have cast its
shadow over Alexander and Cambyses,
still points sunward, a monument of
one mans vanity and power; and the
same ring which tells all its marvellous
story CLEANS as brightly to-day as when
it glittered on the hand of Cheops,
more than three thousand years ago.
This is the most valuable ring OF an
tiquity in the world. This ring is in
the highest state of preservation, and
was found at Ghizeh, in a tomb near
that excavation of Colonel Vyse's called
Campbell's Tomb. It is of fine gold.
The style of the hieroglyphics is in per
feet accordance with those IN the tombs
about the Great Pyramid, and the
hieroglyphics within the oval make the
name of that Pharaoh of whom the
Pyramid was the tomb.
Solomon was said to own a ring which
possessed magical powers. Pharaoh
gave a ring to Joseph, the patriarch, as
a sign of his delegated authority. When
the Roman ambassador required the
King of Bithynia to give Hannibal up,
the latter, upon the point of the Kings
doing so, swallowed poison, which he
always carried about in his ring. In
the time of Alexander the Great it was
customary in Athens to wear magnii
cent rings with engraved stones. It ie
recorded that Demosthenes was fond of
finger rings The Romans collected
cases of rings, many of which are men
toned as being at Rome among these
was that which Pompey the Great took
from Mithridates, and dedicated to
Jupiter in the capital Upon Pompey's
ring was graved three trophies, as
emblems of his three triumphs over the
three parts of the orld-Europe, ASA,
and Africa.
Caesars ring bore an armed Venus
On that Of Augustus there was first a
sphinx, afterwards the image of Alex
ander the Great, and at last his own,
which the succeeding Emperors con-
tinued to use. Nero's signet bore Apol-
10 Staying Marsvas. This Emperor's
musical vanity led him to adopt 1t.
When the practice of deifying the
the princes and heroes became general,
portraits of men took the place of more
ancient types. This custom gave birth
to the cameo, when Greek artists were
encouraged to settle in Rome in order
to supply the demand for these beauti-
fTlI ornaments. Senaca mentions ring
set wich the head of Tibesius in cameo.
The stones principally used by
the Greeks and Romans for
cameOcuttlng were the agate,
onyx, and the Indian sardonyx;
the latter was most priced on account
of variety of tint in its different beds
or layers and the beautiful warm trans
parent cornelian-like ground. The
ring OF Nonius contained the largest
opal known to the ancients, on account
of which its possessor was prescribed
by Mark Antony. Tt was of the size
of hazel-nut, and was valued at q sum
equal to 500, 600 Of our mouey. When
Nonius took to fight he carried moth
ing with him but this ring. Glow
marvellous adds Pliny, must have
been the cruelty, how marvellous the
luxurious passion of ADtonius, thus to
prescribe a man for the possession of a
jewel and no less marvellous must
have been the obs5inacy Of Nonius, who
could thus dote upon what had been
the cause Of his prescription. Coming
down to more modern times we are told
that the ring which George Washing
ton placed on the finger of his bride
(Mfs. Martha GUSTS, the beautiful
young widow, in January, 1853, is still
preserved. 1t is a gold ring set with
topaz. The topaz IS derived from the
Island Topazion, which was supposed
to be situated in the Red Sea. There
are two kinds Of t0pazes. The supe-
rlor is of golden color; the other in
clneS to greenish yellow. The second
species was called chrys0pase, a name
which indicates the blending of gold
and leek color. In allusion to the lat
ter color, the stone is called in the
ChaIdean dialect jerken (green), which
is the equivalent to praise
Giving a ring in marriage ceremonies
IS supposed to indicate the eternity of
the union, seeing that a circle is end
less. The Jewish bridegroom puts the
ring on the forefnger Of the brides
right hand, and this is the rule in the
Greek Church also In the Roman and
Anglican, the ring is placed on the
fourth finger Of the wOman's LETT hand.
the origin OF which has been much dis
puted. Sir Thomas Browne appro-
PIRATES a chapter to this inquiry, OBJ
serving: AN opinion there IS, which
magnities the fourth finger of the left
hand, presuming therein a cordial re-
Iatlon, that particular vessel, nerve.
vein or artery, is conferred thereunto
from the heart and therefore, that
hath especially the honor to bear our
rings. Sir Thomas then refers to this
practice as common not only in Chris
t1an but heather nUptial contracts.
PllnJ states that in the portraits of the
gods the rings were worn on the finger
next the thumb; that was Romans wore
them on the middle finger. as the
ancient Gauls anG Britons. and
some upon the forefinger, as is
deducible from Julius Pofux, who
names that ring Corionas. Since,
therefore, the practice differs in various
countries, we can scarcely refer it to
any natural cause which would alike
affect all. Sir Thomas next examines
the anatomical details Of nerve, vein
and artery; adding that inspection
does not confirm a particular vessel
IN his finger" and that q these propa-
cations being communicated unto both
hands, we have no greater reason to
year our rings on the left than on the
right. The Laram Manual, as old as
1885, says; "rhe ring should be so
placed because in this medicine finger
is certain vein which goes directly to
the heartn
Among the Jews there sometimes was
an exchanging of rings, the bride first
giving plain ring of silver, and re-
celvlng back ring Of gold. The diff
ference OF metal was underst God to
symbolic an acknowledgment of inc