The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-11-04
stone for each month in loves calen-

OlOcNobOhO NSOoidHSts 1piAA
diamond ~(nnocence), May by the
emerald Success in love-, June the
agate Qong life), July the chameleon
(contented mind), August the sar-
donyx married happiness), Septem-
Der the chrysote (c~learness of intel
lect), October the opal fortunate),
November the topaz (idelitv), Decem-
Der the turquoise prosperity
When our queen was married she
distributed in remembrance of the
event gold rings enclosing her like
ness. but SO exceedingly small that
they were invisible except by means
of a magnifying glass; they are highly
treasured among many members OF
the aristocracy to this day.
A wedding ring need not of neces-
sity be gold. Ere this many loving
couples have been married, and
legally married to-, with a curtain
ring, and amOng these were people of
no less note than the Duke of Hamil-
ton and one of the beautiful Miss
Cummings
Iron rings have been made to do the
duty of gold and sometimes even
leather. We read of one bride whose
finger was encircled during the cere-
mony with a piece of kid cut from
her own glove; while the very poor
est classes were content with rush
rings.
The Puritans abolished wedding
rings altogether, and to this day some
members of the Society of Friends OBJ
iect to their use on account of their
heather origin.
Time was when they were worn on
the thumb. When George |. was
King, as soon as the ceremony was
over, the bride removed her wedding
ring from the ring finger to the
thumb, and the traces of the custom
are still visible in some pictures of the
period where they are there depicted.
This perhaps accounts for the say
ing, Wear my husband on my
thumb Another class Of thumb
ring was ecclesiastical.
Brides of our day would hardly OBJ
ject to the old custom that after the
bridegroom had placed the wedding
ring on the wife's finger he should
supplement it by several others with
gems. In earl days the espousal cir
clet was placed first on n finger,
then on another, before it's final rest
ing place, with the words;-"In the
name of the Father. the Son. and the
Holy Ghost, amen"
Interesting relics of the days are the
criminal rings, used both for mar
riage and betrothal. They were made
of two or three movable hoops, one of
which was worn by each Of the lovers
during the betrothal, but at the mar
rage the completed ring was united
again and served for a keeper or we'd
ding ring, the hoops being kept to-
gether by clasped hands, and some
times attached to a heart.
In the north of Europe the wedding
ring opened in the centre, SO that
there was room for the finger to en-
large with age, but in this case it was
not plain gold, but chased and en-
graved. No doubt the double and
triple CRIMINAL rings originated in the
old idea of a betrothed couple divid-
ing q coin, each keeping half.
But there are other rings for us to
consider, and | will dismiss this part
of the subject with Douglas Jerrold's
view of the question:-'Alack! the
wedding ring, like the ring OF Saturn,
for good or evil, it circles the whole
world"
When rings we're first worn it was
not SO much for ornament as a sign Of
power and authority. They were
mostly signet rings bearing a disting-
uishing badge. Many seal rings are
found in Egyptian and other ancient
tolnbs.
Very beautiful relies of the kind
have been handed down to us-the
Egyp tian, of pure gold, heavy but
simple in design, and some of glass
and pottery; the Babylonian, cylin-
drical. cut from some hard substance
like crystal, and perfor ated from end
TO end, so that they could be hung
about the neck. The Egyptian snake
rings are more quaint and curious
than beautiful.
The Greeks have left us iron and
gold rings of exquisite workmanship.
One from Etrurla, now in the British
museum, has the hoop formed of rhe
bodies of two lions, their paws sup
porting an engraving of a lion in
heraldic colors.
Among the Romans iron rings were
worn, save by ambassadors, senators
and persons of high degree; and III
berius made a property qualification
for wearing rings.
1t would take a long chapter to
give even a brief summary of the
many and thrilling Incl
dents with which rings are associated.
History is full OF them. Before the
date of the sign manual. and long
after the soverign's will was signified
by his or her ring, 30 in the days of
Mary, Queen of Scots, when her mes
senger arrived in hot haste, armed
with the queens ring, for the provost.
to reprieve W luckless citizens at the
foot OF the gallows.
Many of that Inflated queens rings
still remain to us. just before the
birth OF her son James she made a will
specially bequeathing her espousal
ring of diamonds enameled redto 1.-THE
king who gave it me.n Mary, Queen
of Scots ring is an heirloom in Sir
J. Stuart's fanil y. 1t has a centre
heartshaped sto ne, three stones set in
an ancient crown on each side. and
beyond a gold fieur-de-lis.
Her signet ring is at the British
Museum, and at South Kensington is
another ring of hers, showing the ci-
pher of the Queen and Darnley. The
ring with the portrait of Charles L.,
given by him to Juxon before his exc
cutlon, was among the most priced
treasures in the Stuart exhibition at
the New Gallery. 1880.
Episcopal rings are too long a sub
iect for me to enter upon here. There
is scarcely an ancient clerical tomb
which does not boast of some. MANY