, 1891-03-19
RINGS OF IHE ANCIENTS.
STYLES WORN BY THE EGYPTIANS,
ROMANS AND HEBREWS.

Than FormerIy-worn Not So Much for
Ornament as for Their Intrinsic value.
Some Famous Rings in History.
Looking al the exhibition of modern
finger rings. the old timer is forCibly
struck by the fact that, whereas IN the
good old days the decorative art and de-
sign were almost wholly expended on
the gold band itself, modern jewellers
confued themselves almost exclusively
10 combinations Of valuable stones. It
is a very ~ungrateful task to spoil a TO
nance, but cold truth compels the adj
mission that this is a practical age, which
looks larg y to the matter Of cOnverti-
bility in rings, watches and valuable
presents.
Actors and actresses on their travels
are seldom seen without a diamond pin,
brooch, necklace or solitaire ring, be-
cause these articles represent u condensa-
ton Of money in small bulk and unde-
preciable form. The finest workman
ship on the gold itself goes for nothing.
1t is simply ''Old gold"-sold by weight.
1t was very different in 'the DAYS Of
DID, though there were plenty of pre-
cious stones available if they had been
needed. The PharaohC and their states
men, the princesses Of Egypt and their IA
vored attendants, undoubtedly wore
rings, for quite q number Of mummies
have been found with a dozen finger
rings literally distributed on the eight
fingers, besides the Indispensable thumb
rings. For it IS u singular TACT that for
hundreds OF years after the Christian
era the custom still prevailed of wearing
the wedding ring and the masculine
token of wealth and power on the thumb.
EGYPTIAN HGNGs.
The ring is 80 frequently alluded to in
the Old Testament as to make it plain
that the greatest importance attached to
it, even in the pastoral age. In Gen.
xii, 10, it is stated that pharaoh took
off his ring from his hand and put it
On Joseph's hand" as a signal mark of
favor. In Esth. iii, 10, mention is made
of King Ahasucrus taking his ring from
his hand and giving it to Hannah, and
the context shows that certain written
documents were "sealed with the kings
ring "
The old time rings were made Of all
sorts of material. Pliny mentions that
iron rings were commonly worn by be-
trothed persons. 1t seems tolerably Ger
tain that rings Of gold and silver were
worn only by kings, princes and mobiles,
while less expensive ~circlets of brass.
ivory, iron and porcelain or glass were
worn by the average citizen.
The oldest gold Egyptian finger ring
actually preserved belonged to Anu
uoph III, who reigned over Egypt four
teen centuries before Christ was born.
Rings of the date of Osirtasen and Thoth-
mes III, who were contemporaries of
Joseph and Moses, nave been found, but
they are Of common maternal and doubt
full authenticity. The s%carabaeus, a beetle
which formed the Egyptian token Of i'm
mortality from being a sexuaD is n com
mon emblem in Egyptian finger rings,
and one of Poe's most extravngant tales
Of mystery, imagination and humor" has
a well established foundation, so far as
the scarabaeus ring is concerned. 1t
seems TO be rolerably certain that Egyp-
tian women wore AS many rings rs they
could crowd on their fingers.
ANTIQUITY or ING
The Egyptians and Romans undoubt-
eddy preferred the left hand for ring pur-
poses, while Caesar, Livy and Tacitus all
seem to insist that the Gauls and Britons
wore their rings on the right hand. In
any case, it seems to nave been tacitly
agreed that the third finger was the place
of honor.
The Hebrew rings worn in those good
old days were very ornate and beautiful.
Quite n number of them have been pre-
served, and they put the art Of the mod
ern jeweler entirely to the blush. The
most beautiful We're the pledge Of be-
throthal or wedding gifts. The ccrcmo-
MES in connection with these rings seem
TO be forcshadowed in the redemption
process specified in Ruth ", :. The
workmanship of these Hebrew bethruthll
rings grew still more elaborate in the
Middle Ages, when towers and miulrets
Of gold were most exquisitely built up
on the hoop. The Jewish bride of this
era wore the wedding ring on the first
finger, but in later days shifted it for
convenience to the third.
The old style "gemmel" or ''gemmon'
ring evidently associated with the French
juneau iumelle, uncommon. meaning
''twin') is not at all an object in col
lections of antique rings.
The meaning Of the indIvisible links is
self evident. Usually Mt the marriage of
the parties the links were severed, each
party wearing one Of the rings. George
" gave n gemmel ring to Mrs. Fitz-
herbert. The toadstone ring was another
quaint medieval conception. 1t was an
outcome of superstition and died when
superstition died. The idea of the toad
stone ring was TO prevent mothers and
small children from the evil Influences of
tba fairies The smnl1ast ad1fnr RING
ever fashioned was that used at the mar
rage of Mary, the infant daughter of
Henry VIII of England, to the Dauphin
of France, son of Francis l. The marriage
was performed by Cardinals Wolsey and
Campeggio, the bridegroom being s
months old and The bride 1 year and 10
months old.-Boston Globe.
The Why of 1t.
When ON II Dragged that only one
Uub1ir .e~Npgutf,n had tul-ap r1,ra IN