Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-06-25
THE RHYMES OF RINGS.
Why Women Wear the Gold Circles
on Certain Fingers.

| Ring lore IS certainly a curious SUBJ
iect, and Just as entertaining and inter
esring as it is curious Searching for
information on so odd d subject leads
one into all sorts of historical highways
and byways. According to an old
writer, it was considered in ancient
times highly i'm proper for single or un-
married persons to wear circlets on
| their fingers, ''unlsSS they We're Judges,
| doctors or senator's" For all but these
dignitaries such an unwarranted orna-
ment was considered an evidence of
vanity, lascivIousneSs and pride" and
the person who should so far forget
himself was thought most pres Impt-
uouS.
Affianced persons, according TO an
other authority, were allowed this hon
i orable distinction, and II Is cited as an
evidence of the high honor il which
the estate Of wedlock was then held that
| those about TO enter It might be- so
adorned. But while finger rings have
figured In all the political, court and
ecclesiastical history of ali times. it is
their record as love tokens and mar
rIage emblems which leads the greatest
interest to these pretty or priceless (as
the case may be- baubles of mankind.
IhE SlAAAL hlSG-
Herrick writes Of tie 'jimmal ring"
which was given as love token only:
Thou sendest 10 me a true love knot but
Returned a ring Of llmmals 10 lmpy
1 Ey love had one knot mine a tTiUle tye.
In later years this ring became one
of espousal, and was intended To typify
community of interest, mutual forbear-
ance, endless devotion and all the other
attributes of the estate of matrimony IN
Its most ideal perfection. The orLho-
graphy was changed and written with
'.g." A Jimmai ring, supposed to
belong to the time of Queen Elizabeth,
was found at Horseleydown, in Surrey,
and is now preserved in British col
lection. 1t is described as follows:
The ring is formed CT twin OF dou-
ble hoops. which play within one an
other like links to chain. Elch hoop
has one of its sides fat, the other con-
| vex, and each is twisted once around
and surmounted by hand issuing
from an embossed work mist OF sleeve,
rising above the circle and extending in
| the same direction. The course of the
twist in each hoop is made TO cores
pond with that OF its counterpart, SO
| tHat on bringing together the hat sur
| faces of the hoops they unite in one
ring. The whole device represents the
| triple emblem of love, fidelity and
union, the whole being of fine gold and
weighing two pennyweights-
Regarding the language of rings,
! there is an old rule laid down: IF a
man wants "A wife the ring must be
worn upon the first finger of the LETT
hand; if he is engaged it occupies the
second finger, if married he wears 1t
| upon the third, but if he is resolved
upon celibacy, then it is that It is put
upon the fourth or little finger" This
rule is also adopted for women, but it
is carefully explained that widows are
| not subject to the rules"
There Is a woman in Philadelphia
| who is not governed by any rule, for
shs wears a wide band of gold on her
thumb. Naturally it attracts much at
| tention and occasions comment. One
night at dinner party a gentleman
| asked her why she wore it. I'm
mediately shs penciled upon the menu:
| For pleasures past and Joys TO come
1 wear this ring upon my thumb,
Under this her quertst promptly
| wrote:
You've another thumb. M lady dear,
Aud another lover sitting here
| Who'd give his chance Ol the world TO come
1 To place ring ON the other thumb
According TO the ancient ritual in
marriage the husband began the ring
business by placing 1t upon the brides
| thumb and putting il successively OIL
the next two fingers. pronouncing fol
each one person Ct the Trinity; with
| final Amen" the fourth finger was
reached and there the ring remained.
| The Greek church ritual directs that
the ring be placed upon the night hand.
| Puritan influence sought to abolish the
ring a. vain and heather emblem, but
| the sweet old fashion OF giving and
| taking the emblem, '.for our loves
sake yet remains TO US.
| BETRoTHAL AND WEDDING RINGS.
, Betrothal or engagement rings vary
| in fashion nowadays, and always de-
| pend, OF should do so, on the purse OF
/ the donor Where there are no limita.
| tlons of this sort his taste, If il be per.
] fect, will lead him to choose diamond
/ solitaire and of the best he can afford
| a small and pure bluewhite stone being
| altogether preferable TO large stone,
/ Some prefer a ring set with three
| stones, generally a sapphire set between
two diamonds. Others select a ruby
or an emerald, which signifies promise
| icf happiness. Few people choose pearl:
for an engagement ring, as pearls are
| supposed to typIfy tears They are also
too perishable 10 become emblems OF
love. which, N its fist glow at least, /:
/ .iiNa,s uhdeTS OJs3 ~ Dc iEdeStTuctible.
Their beauty /, ,rTs ITcc .itods, being
easily dimmed, "a -.i-eI, " eiS the lapi-
dairy expresses 1t, Dy contact with i'm
pure air, while acid annil.:iites them
completely, like the famous one which
the fair Egyptian, "Drilliant sorceres:
the Nile" " dissolved and drank 10 heI
imperial lover ages ago
The wedding ring remains about the
same. The Romans made theirs oi
ron to express endurance, and basel
llmetal5 have been used since. The
ideal marriage token cannot be i'm,
proved upon-it Is a ring OF pure vir-
gin gold, neither too heavy nor yet toe
slender. 1t is softly rounded, so there
are no sharp edges II you hang il Oh
a string and strike it softly IL will rInc
out an indescribably soft and sweet
sound No other symbol expresses Sc
well the true hearts devotion. Her.
rick's lines are very pretty:
| And as this round
Is nowhere found
To flaw. or else to sever.
So let our love
As endless prove.
| And pure as gold forever
Ladies of the present day wear
numerous rings regardless of their sig
nifcance- AT the present time, &C.
cording to the Roman rule, one cannot
classify by any such token either the
young woman in the nursery rhyme
who has been immortalized with rings
in her ears or bells on her toes" the
Egyptian lady whose portrait on heI
mummy case represents her two hands