The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-05
NOT PECULIAR TO WOMEN
From Time Emmemoriai Kings and
Male Subjects Have Worn
Finger Rings.
Wealth Of Art Lavished on Baublea
Sported Two Hundred
Years Ago.
Notable Rings Worn by More Notable Men
aud Women-The superb Londes-
borO Cabinet.

The finger ring ia not alone = woman's
possession, as any casual observer must
confess, says the jewelers. Review. Tho
glaring settings of red, green and white.
ths Respondent clusters of diamonds which
form a striking figure of many mems hands
render it certain that woman has no exclu-
sivc right to the finger ring, as she has to
the necklace, the bracelet and the brooch
and the earrings. And why should she,
when from time immemoriAl kings and their
male subjects have sported the bauble? The
art lavished on the construction of the or
nament by the artisans of to-day scarcely
equals that practiced by jewellers 200 years
ago. The designs and mountings of rings
in Queen Elizabeth's time have not been
e1cslled in later days, owing, doubtless,
to the limited scope for invention
offered by the circular form and
necessarily light body of the metal.
But few collections of rings exist in this
country. We are to busy forging fortunes
to devote time and attention to gathering
up relics. In Europe, however, much inter
est centers in the collections. A superb
cabinet known as the Londesboro, is the
best in Great Britain. 1t contains numer-
GUS rings of early English and some few of
Roman times. Private hands, however,
possess most of the finger treasures of Eng
lands great dead. In France such relics
pass by a kind of gravitation into the hands
of the government; in England it is Just
the contrary. Noble houses preserve their
W treasures, and to this day some of tho
choicest old mementoes are possessed BY
humble persons, descendants of those to
whom the treasures originally belonged.
Signet rings were at an early day adopted
as an evidence of nobility and authority.
Then they soon gained a commercial value.
and every leading tradesman had his mark
upon his hand, that it might be used when
required as his signature.
A ring possessing a strong claim to notice
purports to be the seal ring of William
Shakespeare, and was found March 1G, 1910,
by a laEorsr's wife in the mill closely ad-
Joining Standardization church yard.
Rings were, at Shakespeare's time. an al
most necessary part of the outfit of a GEN
tleman-they indicated rank and character
by their style or devices. Hence the willis
and inventories of the era abound with no.
tees of rings, many persons wearing them
in profusion. as may be seen in portraits
painted at this time. The Germans partic-
ularly delighted in them and wore them
upon many fingers and upon different joints
of the ingers-the foretinger especially, a
whimsical custom still kept up by their de-
%scendants. The ladies even wreathed them
in the bands of their head-dresses. Rabelais
speaks of the rings Gargantua wore because
his father desired him to renew that an
cient mark Of nobility. On the f%orefnger
of his left hand he had a gold ring set with
one Of milled metal. On the middle finger
of the right hand he had a curious ring
made s%pirewise, wherein were set IA perfect
ruby, a pointed diamond and an emerald Of
.ipestimable value"
IL rring to eastern nations, in whose
eyes leWelry has always found great favor,
we find the Indians prefer rings with large
f1oriated faces, spreading over three fingers
like a shield.
At the ommencemen of the present
century harlequin rings were very much in
vogue. At the present time a simple gold
band is favored, with immense settings of
diamonds mixed with rubies or %turquois,
For ladies the rings are shown in all sorts,
colors and sizes. Perfect masses of dia-
monds, made up to represent petals of diff
ferent flowers, are quite the style, but very
costly.
MIRA. Kendall has among her collection of
rings, given her by royalty, a "gimmal"
ring. 1t parts into three hoops, secured on
a small pivot, the toothed edge of the CEN
trail hoop forming an ornamental center TO
the ring, and having two hearts in the mid
die. A hand is affixed to the side OF the
uppSI AIN w AoofoS II LSo olANASA |
raised. 80 that when the hoops are brought
together they link in each other and close
over the hearts, securing all firmly.
On the forednger of Chauncey Depew may
be seen an odd ring which has often been
commented on. 1t is one of those mystic
of the nobility while abroad. Composed
Of three separate bands. it parts slightly in
the middle when the fingers are bent. The
outside is perfectly plain, and is set with
ruby and amethyst. Upon pressing these
stones n spring opens and discovers the sur
face covered with magical signs and names
of spirits.
Mr1. William Astor's collection of rings
. She most famous in this country. She
has bought many of the old French jewels
and has several of the rings belonging to
the Empress Eugenia. One is the noted
diamonds with drops of dew upon the pc
tails. The dswdrops are pearls and the
petals are diamonds. Another IL of tur-
quois, band and setting, the band forming
leaves in a wreath and coming up in the
center to the shape of one large forget-me-
not. She also has a snake ring. which came
from Egypt. This is constructed of fine
gold wire, which scintillntes and moves as
# alive; each scale of the snakes back is
a tiny wire, on which is a ruby, an emer-
aid and an amethyst. The effect is mar
velous.
Mrs. Paran Stevens jewels have been
much spoken of. Almost all of her notable
collection, are diamonds, these being her
~favorlte stones. She posses a ring once
belonging to the Turkish empire, which is
certainly wonderful. There is an intricate
band woven of fine silver. At the setting is
a lizard made of diamonds. In the tail ia a
spring and when the spring is touched the
mouth of the lizard opens to divulge the in
terror of the little animals throat, made of
diamonds and rubies.
ESCAprn NUN rAIJNwc