As you have no doubt already read or heard somewhere, the first rings
discovered date back to the ancient Egyptians who identified the circle as a symbol
related to eternity. These were punctually worn on the left ring finger because of a
because of a close connection between the veins and the heart.
However, it is believed that in the 2nd century BC it was the ancient Romans who started the
tradition of engagement rings instead of giving the bride money or a
precious object.
During the European Middle Ages, signet rings were very important in religious, legal
and commercial transactions, signet rings were very important. There were also memorial rings (where the
engraved with the date of death or even the effigy of a deceased person) posing rings (bands engraved
with romantic poems and sayings), occult rings (which functioned as talismans)
poison rings (which contained poison for the purpose of suicide or murder).
Since the 19th century, the ancient traditions among these types of rings have mostly
made way for modern, high-quality rings worn for the purpose of simple ornamentation or as a
simple ornamentation or as a symbol of fidelity.
This article will help designers to understand which types of rings they can design and which
today are the most common styles that can be created by dividing the types
of rings into:
Solitaire ring – Solitaire ring
Veretta full circle ring – Eternity ring
Toi et Moi ring – Toi et Moi ring
Cocktail ring – Cocktail ring
Contour ring – Halo ring
Phalangina ring – Knuckle ring
Ring with three stones – Trilogy ring
Fantasia ring – Fashion ring
1. Solitaire ring
Refers to a ring with a single stone. They can be solitaires of diamonds
or of other precious stones. In today’s times, the diamond solitaire ring is
widely used as an engagement ring.
In 1880 Cecil Rhodes founded DeBeers Mining Company with other investors and in the
1930s-40s they turned diamond engagement rings into nothing more than
an advertising campaign, launching the famous slogan ‘a diamond is forever’.
forever’.
Each designer in creating a solitaire ring can decide which stone to use,
which shape and which materials while taking into account the inherent limitation
limitation of being able to choose only one stone that will be of central value in the creation.
central value in the creation.
2. Veretta full circle ring – Eternity ring
The Eternity ring is so called because it has no beginning and no end, therefore defined as
‘eternal’, this ring symbolises love without end. In this jewel, the stones
are mounted across the entire surface. It is often also called
riviera ring or in a more classic way fedina, as its appearance is reminiscent of the
wedding ring.
The designer can decide which stones to use and which type of metal. There are also
the half circle veretta ring, with five diamonds or multi-coloured.
3. Toi et Moi ring
Toi et Moi refers to a ring with two gems sitting side by side or
close to each other, symbolising two souls becoming one. The birth
of these types of rings is attributed to Napoleon, who gave this ring to his
beloved Josephine, in 1776, the ring was made of gold with a sapphire set opposite
a diamond.
The designer does not have to follow a rule for these types of rings. According to his
imagination, or that of the customer, he can decide whether opposing stones can be
equal, such as two sapphires, or stones of different colour and cut.
4. Cocktail ring
The cocktail ring trend originated during the Prohibition era in the USA in
occasion of secret cocktail parties, where women were beginning to see their
role in society.
In general, the people who attended anti-prohibition parties were people
wealthy people, this meant that the rings they wore were bold and larger
than normal, there were no rules on the construction, design and colour range
used, the only requirement was that they should stand out.
The lack of formal requirements for this type of ring meant that designers
can feel freer and exercise more creativity in style and materials,
even choosing combinations of coloured stones with different shapes. Having
this type of ring has an overtly ambitious and extrovert connotation, the
can create creative collections that are daring and that can dare to aspire to the
extravagance.
5. Contour ring – Halo ring
Halo rings or more commonly called contour rings are made with a stone at the
centre a stone surrounded by smaller stones. This type of ring is
very interesting when you want to make it look bigger and want to emphasise the
central stone.
It is up to the designer to decide which stone to place in the centre and which
stones and what cut to put around it, whether to make it with a single row of stones or with
several rows.
6. Phalangina – Knuckle ring
These jewels are very thin rings that are worn on the first or second phalanx
of the fingers. Knuckle is an English term meaning ‘knuckle’ and refers to the
knuckles of the hand where these rings are worn.
These rings worn in the middle of the finger may seem very modern, but they actually emerged during the Renaissance.
emerged as early as during the Renaissance when noblewomen wore thin rings
in the upper phalanges to mark their elegant hands.
7. Three-stone ring – Trilogy ring
The Trilogy ring is so called because it indicates the placement of three stones one
next to each other. The most common meaning that Trilogy has is the concept of the past,
present and future, the three stones symbolising precisely the important moments in
life. The central stone, which is usually larger, symbolises the present. Sometimes
instead, this ring symbolises the family, in fact the three stones can signify the
spouse and the three children or the couple and their only child.
The most common Trilogy is with brilliant-cut diamonds, but the designer, based on
taste, may decide to set it with different types of precious and non-precious stones.
8. Fantasy ring – Fashion ring
This type of ring is worn to express one’s style exclusively
without a specific occasion presenting itself. The person wearing it must
meet the spirit of the designer because here the designer can precisely diversify
according to his or her creativity in creating a ring that is truly original and
incomparable.
The designer is usually hired on a commission basis to allow the client
end customer to be able to get as close as possible to the creation.
With this brief exposition of the eight types of rings the designer will
easily have a starting point from which to bring their creative ideas to life.
creative ideas.
