The morning call., 1890-08-03
HISTORY OF
THE FINGER RING.
Rings Were a Sign of Authority
From the Time of PharOah.
Circles Worn by Early Christians-The History
of the Ring Is One of Poetry and Passion
and Pomp and Power.

finger ring. 1t is not recorded that the
first man encircIed the finger of the mother
of all living with this emblem of eternity,
but it is said that the old Bible men wooed
their wives very much in the same fashion
as the men of to-day, and gave unto them
"rings and things" in gliStening gold,
sparkling with precious stones, in token
that they endowed them with their flocks
and herds. The women OF Egypt and AS
syria, not content with rings upon fingers,
used to wear them upon their arms and In
the ears, and this custom of big golden
hoops in the ear-lobes is carried out to-day
by the Moorish women and men.
The ring was a sign of authority from the
time of Pharaoh, the Egyptian, and maybe
long before. Tie King, when he took off
his ring from his hand and placed it upon
Joseph's hand, intrusted to him the gov
eminent OF Egypt; and Ahasuerus gave his
ring to Hannah as his warrant for the ex-
termination of the Jews. All classes OF
Egyptians wore signet rings, as we'll as rings
of gold, silver and bronze, for ornament.
In the old tombs many curious rings Of gold
and silver have been found that show they
must have been used to seal DEGREES, or as
signet rings, by royal persOnages. The
rings of the rich were plain gold circles,
with a stone bearing either the name of
some deity or king, or sacred emblem or
legend. Others had scarab9us, style
much in favor with the Egyptians.
. THE sIGNET RING
Among the Hebrews was an Indispensable
article of dress, and was perhaps handed
down from father to son. The Hebrew
ladies wore rings ornamented with precious
stones, valuing those most set with emeralds,
rubies and chrysolites. 1t is thought that
rings were carried to Greece from Asia. In
the days of Scion every free man wore
ring of gold, silver or bronze. The women
also wore rings of ivory and amber. The
Laced8monians, however, tried to restrict
by law the luxury OF wearing gold ana
silver rings, and every Spartan took pride
in wearing plain iron ring. Pliny says
the Romans took to wearing rings from
seeing them adjoining the hands OF the
slender, supple Greeks. but Livy ascrbes
their Introduction TO the Sabines. With
this increase of luxury, the Romans, like
the Egyptians and Greeks. covered their
their thumbs. Some of the old rings were
OF immense value. The Empress Faustina,
it is said, possessed one worth 100000, and
Domitia one valued at 100000
The early Christians wore rings also. and
at first they were simple circles of ivory,
bronze, or some other cheap material. But
the custom soon degenerated into an abuse,
and the fathers of the church, particularly
Jerome and Cyprlan, were obliged to In
weigh with severity against the prOdigality
of rings of gold and precious stones. A ring
was worn by the early Christian bishops,
and the custom still prevails in the Roman
Church. At the conservation of bishop
this ring, called the episcopal or pastoral
ring is blessed and put upon the fourth
finger of his right hand, as a sign Of his
alliance with the church. This ring is al
ways of gold, set with an unengraved
nrat.iOnS nsnalty amathySt hut
sometimes a sapphire, ruby, emerald or
crystal.
THE RING OF CARDINAL
Is set with a sapphire. The seal ring of
the Pope is of steel, and since the fifteenth
century it has been usrd to seal the apos-
tOlic briefs. On the death of a Pope this
ring is broken, and new one is made for
his successor. The history of the ring is
one of poetry and passion as we'll as of
pOmp and power. From the time of ancient
Rene, when it was used at weddings, until
to-day, it has enciTcled all the tendereSt
sentiments of the heart and formed part
of many romances. The little circle of gold
given by the Roman soldier to the maid OF
his heart a sign of betrOthal, ere he went
out to battle, corresponds with that worn
to-day by many an Notwithstanding girl,
whose love is quartered under the burning
sun of India aud whose parting gift it was.
In Germany it has been common for the
wife to wear the betrothal ring after mar
riage. and the husband the wedding ring,
from their earliest introduction. Rings of
betrothal were frequently exchanged in
olden times by lovers, and the gimmal or
gimmon rings, twins or double rings, were
in high favor. To the Romans belong the
credit, it is Thought, of giving rings with
notices and posies engraved thereon to
their lady-loves. Many superstitions have
been connected with wedding rings. The
idea that an artery or nerve extended from
the ring-fnger to the heart is of very an
Gent origin, and is perhaps due TO the
Egyptians. 1t has been thought, too, that
the wedding RUG possessed curative prop
critics, as rubbing a stye on the eyelid with
a gold ring would make it disappear. Other
rings besides wedding rings have been used
to cure disease. A silver ring made of the
coins collected at the communion was
A TALIsMAN
Against commissions and fits. They also
owed some of their virtues to the stones
with which they were set. Thus, the dia-
mond was believed to be an antidcte against
all poisons; the ruby changed its color if
any evil was about to .befall the wearer of
it; the amethyst was an antidote against
drunkenness; the sapphire and bloodstOne
checked bleeding at the nose; coral him
dered the delusions of the evil one; the
toadStone prevented many evils, and the
topaz prevented and cured lunacy. Rings
were also believed to possess magical pow-
ers and TO be full of occult significance.
Magic rings were manufactured in great
numbers at Athens, and endowed with
whatever charm the purchaser required.
The ArablanS have book which tells of
magic rings, and in it is mentioned Solo
mons ring, with which he sealed the jars
containing refractory spirits and had
them cast into the sea. The Gnostics
engraved rings with mystic symbols,
names, monOgrams and legends, which were
supposed 10 have peculiar virtues, and in
the earlier ages the names of Jesus. Mary
and Joseph on rings were deemed preserva-
tives from the plague. Rings have been
used as instruments of death as well as to
ward off evil things. Every child knows
the Eastern story of the geni of the ring,
who became the slave Of its possessor, and
OF the evil wrought from rubbing the ring
by wicked man. Long after this story
was told and translated into different lam
guages, there lived at Rome wicked old
man, by name Cesare Borgia, who wore a
ring with a slide, within which he said to
have carried the poison that he sometimes
dropped into the wine of guests. His father,
Alexander vi, it IS said, also possessed a
keyrlng which had poisoned needle con-
cealed within it, and which, when he de-
sired to rid himself of person, he gave to
him
To UNLOCK A CAsKET
The whole family of Borgia were very
wicked, it is said, and Lucrezia, the sister
of Cesare, a woman of remarkable beauty
and fascination, is also said to have pois-
oned those she disliked and shared in the
atrocities of her father and brother. The
rings of thu Borgia family were known and
dreaded, and the Romans feared the velvet
handed Spaniards who came to them with
the pangs Of death concealed within a
golden circle.
One hardly knows where to commence
with the romances in which the ring has
been an important factor. The story of the
ring that Queen Elizabeth gave as token
of her favor to the Earl of Leicester, and
which he was to return to her when in need
of her, is perhaps one of the best known in
English history. The ring, intrusted to
false friend, did not reach Elizabeth until
after she had condemned the Earl to death,
and when long alterward it was returned
10 her. it was said she was filled with
eternal remorse and regret at her cruelty to
Leicester. Perhaps the ring of the
beautiful and unfortunate Mary. Queen
of Scots, which it is said she gave
to her lover, Rizzio, led to the be-
t.o.,.I of nor affection for the handsnma