The origin of the ring

Speaking of rings, people are no strangers. But the origin of it is little known.

The ring is the ring, also called the index. As early as in the Western Han Dynasty, "Mao Chuan" has a record of the "ring" of gold and silver as a mark in the "Poetry. But at that time, it was not called a ring, but called "hands." Later, with the popularity of the ring in the folk, the name has become more and more, such as "about finger", "referring to the finger", "drive the ring" and so on.

If we resort to cultural relics and archaeological materials, it is not difficult to find that in the primitive society, the ring has been produced as an ornament. For example, the Dawenkou site in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, named after the “Dawenkou Culture”, found only 20 rings in the first excavation in 1959. Nine of them are still on the phalanx of the deceased. It is made of materials such as bones and jade. Judging from the unearthed situation, in the primitive society of four or five thousand years, the wearing of the ring is not divided between men and women. It is a whisper of the aesthetic object of the people, and it is recorded in the annals of primitive human spiritual life.

The earliest wearing a ring was an Egyptian. In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the ring represents eternity, and people's love and marriage are also looking forward to eternity. The ring that once served as a decoration soon became a token of sacred marriage between men and women.

As early as in the early Han Dynasty, China was wearing a ring in the court. If any of the palace ladies put on the silver ring in their left hand, it is clear that she came to menstruation or have a pregnancy, and the imprisoned emperor is close. And if the emperor is served, it will be given to the golden ring, in the right hand, and by the women's history book. As for the token of marriage and marriage, it probably began in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

There is also an interesting legend about the ring: there was a prime minister in ancient times, and the work was very fair, but the temper was irritable. When you encountered something unsatisfactory, you were furious and slammed the table, often scared the subordinates to dare not say anything. He feels that his temper is so bad, but he can't restrain himself. What should he do? Thinking about it, I finally came up with the idea, making a copper ring and putting it on my finger. When you temper the table, the copper ring vibrates your finger to warn yourself to suppress the anger. This method really worked, so some officials who were eager to get angry also used to practice the anger. Because the copper ring is placed on the finger, it plays the role of warning and moderation, so it is called "ring".

Today, the ring is widely loved by people as an ancient ornament and token. It is also worn by men and women. Its symbolic meaning dilutes its connotation of "marriage". The ancient history has been integrated into the imprint of the new era. The ring implies a match, and different wearing methods have different implications.

A variety of rings:

1. Rings symbolizing the sun and the moon: In ancient society, the ring was not only worn on the fingers of the people, but also on the mounds around the temple Buddhist temple and people's houses. These rings are generally made of beautiful jade rings. Archaeologists and anthropologists have found that this ring-shaped ring is the symbol of the Sun God of the Sun, the most adored object of humanity in ancient society, and believes that it is like the sun god, giving people warmth and sheltering human beings. Happiness and peace; it also symbolizes virtue and eternity, and represents truth and faith. Until modern times, Russia still had this legend: the groom wears a gold ring, symbolizing the fiery sun; the bride wears a silver ring, symbolizing the bright moon.

2. Rings representing freedom and dignity: Rings were liberated slaves in ancient Greek society - free people are happy to wear because they believe that rings symbolize freedom and dignity. There are different customs and regulations for wearing rings. In ancient Rome, wealthy citizens wear different rings in different seasons. In the winter, they wear a heavy square ring and in summer they wear a light ring. The bronze ring can be worn at the right and left hands, while the gold and silver ring is usually worn on the left hand and the fourth finger. As for the ring with gems and jade, the man is wearing the left hand and the woman is wearing the right hand. Some of these customary norms are still in use today. For example, nowadays people wear gold and silver rings, and most people are still used to wearing the fourth finger in the left hand.

3. Rings as amulets and tokens: The citizens of the ancient Roman Empire wore rings of jade and amber, and used them as amulets to protect themselves. The nobles wear gold and silver rings inlaid with rubies, because the gleaming ruby ​​is a symbol of wealth and glory. The kings inscribed the imprint of the royal coat of arms on their rings, called the imprint ring. In addition to the king's wearing, the ring also serves as a token of the king's command. The king's commander carries the ring with the seal of the king, and the subjects are more convinced and can faithfully execute the king's orders.

4, the ring is also linked to medicine and religion: According to legend, the clear emerald can avoid the plague, so the priests wear a ring with emeralds on the witchcraft etiquette to pray for a quick recovery.

5, the key ring: In the ancient Roman society, there is a special custom of wearing a ring, the main is when the bride enters the bridal chamber after the wedding, her mother-in-law put a key ring on the bride's finger, the ring The key on it is used to open the lock of the family house. Wearing this key ring on the bride's hand means that she has stepped into a new home and is responsible for her duties in a new family, that is, caring for her husband, teaching her in-laws, raising children, and doing housework. If you remove this key, you will be ridiculed by people and considered a scandal.

6. Engagement ring: After the 16th century, at the engagement ceremony, both women and men gave each other a ring. The engagement ring is a pair of matching rings. The shape is a pair of clasped hands, indicating that the two sides will never change. Nowadays, there are rare engagement rings in this shape in the West. Most of the engagement rings are inlaid with crystal clear pearls or diamonds, which means the purity of love and the firmness and loyalty of both sides.

7. Wedding Ring: In ancient Egypt, the bridegroom gave the bride a ring in the early morning on the day of the wedding. It symbolized the eternal love and loyalty. The groom expressed his trust in the bride. Later, the wedding ring developed into a sweetheart shape with both hands and a gemstone embedded in it, and the bridegroom wears the middle finger on the left hand for the bride at the wedding. In addition, when the Westerners are holding a wedding, some brides also give the ring with the imprint to the lady who attended the wedding. This is the wedding commemorative ring. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom once gave her ladies more than 70 wedding commemorative rings for her luxurious and solemn wedding.

8, Bishop's Ring: In the Middle Ages, the Pope had supreme status and maximum power, and they wore rings with huge gemstones. This ring, thick and solemn, represents the authority of the Pope. In the 15th century, the rings worn by the Popes were embellished with gems on the top and embossed with lions on both sides, showing a majestic style. The gold and silver rings with sapphires and amethysts are also often worn by the bishops, because the sapphire amethyst symbolizes the love and power of God, and also represents the bishops who are always at the center of their duties, kindness and forgiveness, and pure heart. And elegant. There are also bishop rings with the name of the wearer.

9, the court ring: 17th, 18th century, in the banquet, dance and other social occasions to give each other a ring has become a trend. To this end, the princes of the aristocrats of the princes are vying to hire jewellery craftsmen to create unique rings. Some rings are painted on the shackles of the small bullets, and the portraits of the kings and nobles are painted. The craftsmanship is not only fine, but also vivid and vivid, even the patterns on the costumes are clearly visible. In order to commemorate their ancestors, many descendants of the nobles also made a sleeve-painted ring, which was passed down as a descendant of the family.

10. Mother's Ring: The "Mother's Ring" is a very beautiful souvenir given to the mother by the child. The ring is set with a very small child's birthstone on the gold and silver hoops; some are in the middle of the hoop with the father's birthstone; the rare birthstone of the deceased child is placed on top. Birthstone refers to the gems associated with the birth of the moon, such as February, which is amethyst.