The interpretation of the symbolism of jewelry is a very complex and ambiguous area, directly dependent both on the culture of a particular nation and on more specific parameters. However, almost everyone knows what a ring on the right or left hand on the ring finger means. This decoration location is perhaps the most obvious and understandable to most of us, especially if we are talking about a smooth ring without a pronounced central element.
You recognized the engagement party, didn’t you? But not everything is so simple, friends!
Palmistry Basics
According to the tenets of palmistry, the ring finger is dedicated to the ancient Greek god Apollo. This Olympian deity rules light and is directly identified with the Sun.
It is believed that the finger of Apollo is responsible for the emotional and sensual sphere of a person, his secret desires and subconscious impulses. In addition, he is given responsibility for a person’s creative abilities, his self-confidence, the ability to control his own emotions and the tendency to create.
The ring finger is also responsible for the tendency to take risks, gambling and all kinds of addictions. Unfortunately, the Sun also has its not-so-pleasant sides!
In most cultures (including ancient Slavic), the Sun is associated with the active masculine principle, responsible for creation and movement forward. But the Moon symbolizes the passive feminine principle, which is designed to balance the active masculine nature and direct its energy in the right direction.
A well-developed long ring finger indicates the primacy of masculinity. Here is a very active person, not devoid of talent, prone to excitement and risk to the point of foul. Such a person is often chosen as a leader. And he lives up to expectations, unless, of course, he falls beyond the bounds of reason due to his inability to calculate the situation due to being blinded by excitement.
A short and weak ring finger (much shorter than the index finger) is more common among shy people who are unable to make independent decisions and have poor control over their own emotions - in a word, melancholic people.
If the length and thickness of the index and ring fingers are approximately equal, then you are dealing with a balanced nature. This person can take risks, but after carefully weighing the pros and cons. His feelings are in complete harmony with his will and reason. The perfect combination! True, there is no need to talk about genius here, but divinely talented people are extremely rarely happy.
Gold wedding ring (go to SUNLGHT catalogue)
In this regard, we can summarize: the meaning of the ring on the ring finger is truly enormous. Correctly selected jewelry can neutralize the shortcomings and enhance the advantages of a particular person. Of course, spiritually and emotionally.
Medical rationale
It is interesting that no matter how many legends and beliefs we know that answer the question of why a wedding ring is worn on the ring finger, few can believe that there is a justification from a medical point of view. Probably, with some inner feeling, our ancestors determined that it was on the ring finger that there were nerve endings that are literally responsible for sexual desire in the human body. They regulate the endocrine system, control the sacrococcygeal area of the spine, and maintain the tone of the vessels of the pelvic organs. So, if you lightly massage the skin on your ring finger, you can activate the production of hormones responsible for sexual desire.
Ring on the right hand on the ring finger
If you see a girl wearing a ring on the ring finger of her right hand, you should take a closer look at the design of the jewelry. If the ring is a bezel without a clearly defined central element (even with a scattering of diamonds or a textured surface), then the lady is married. Well, or considers himself one.
Some unmarried girls wear wedding rings just because. More often this happens when young people live together, but the guy does not seek to legitimize the relationship.
A diamond ring on a woman's right hand ring finger means she is engaged. An active advertising campaign by De Beers, supported by the efforts of the pillars of Hollywood, has borne fruit in Russia. But even here, not everything is so simple.
Now it is believed that a guy asking for the hand and heart of his chosen one must give her a ring with the largest possible diamond (at least no less than a carat). Supposedly, the size of the diamond should be proportional to the strength of love for the potential bride.
Uninitiated people believe that this happened historically, but it never happened: we owe the global fashion for engagement rings with grandiose diamonds to the active advertising campaign of the largest supplier of diamonds to the modern market. And the notorious “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” is from the same marketing opera.
So, if you see a large tapeworm on a girl’s ring finger, it means:
- they love the lady very much and want to see him as his legal wife;
- the girl’s chosen one is wealthy enough to please his sweetheart with premium jewelry;
- De Beers advertising campaign is a resounding success.
However, options are possible: theoretically, the girl should return the ring upon termination of the engagement on her own initiative, but in practice this does not always happen. Who has the strength to part with such beauty?
If the breakup was initiated by a man, the ring remains with the girl as a consolation on completely ethical grounds. So a large diamond on a pretty girl’s ring finger does not mean at all that her heart is occupied. Be bolder!
If you see on a girl’s ring finger a ring with another large precious stone (emerald, sapphire, ruby), it is quite possible that here we are (or were) talking about an engagement. But before you is clearly an extraordinary person who prefers non-standard solutions, with whom it will definitely be interesting to communicate.
A ring-rim on a man’s right hand on his ring finger, as a rule, also indicates his stable family status: married and, possibly, happy. The fact is that not all men wear wedding bands all the time and with pleasure - they say that they get in the way.
Gold ring with diamonds in the SUNLIGHT catalog
If a representative of the stronger sex does not part with his wedding ring, it means that he really loves his significant other or is forced to do so by circumstances: business etiquette, the need to demonstrate marital status, or the persistent persuasion of his wife.
Men are not allowed to have engagement rings, but there is still an alternative to wedding rings. These are signets that were once symbols of high origin, but later turned into attributes of members of criminal communities.
Jewelry etiquette allows a business man to wear only one ring: a wedding ring. All other options (including seals) are only permissible outside the office, business negotiations and other protocol events.
What does the ring on the left hand on the ring finger mean?
Let's move on to the left hand. Wearing a wedding ring on the left hand on the ring finger is customary in most countries in Europe and America. This is due, first of all, to the difference in the dominant religious faiths and its impact on cultural traditions.
Wearing a ring on the ring finger of the left hand is common among most Catholics and Protestants. There are many more of them in the world than Orthodox Christians, which is why they set global trends.
Now a wedding ring on the ring finger of the left hand signifies marital status for most people who do not profess Christianity. For example, this engagement position can often be seen among Jewish women, as well as among the Chinese, who adore everything European and American.
In keeping with this trend, a diamond ring on a woman's left ring finger most often means she is engaged. Moreover, many of our compatriots often wear engagement rings this way: some because of their commitment to pictures from Hollywood, some because wearing an engagement and wedding ring together on one finger is not always convenient.
Now you can solve the problem of compatibility between a wedding ring and an engagement ring simply and elegantly. Jewelry pairs consisting of these rings are available for sale, perfectly matched in both design and construction. They complement each other and do not interfere with everyday life at all.
A wedding ring on the left hand of our compatriot may mean that in front of you is a divorced lady or a widow who wants to preserve the memory of her spouse. Moreover, on the left hand of the grieving widow you can see both wedding rings: hers and her deceased husband’s.
The ring on the left ring finger of European and American men means the same thing: the person is married. However, there may be options: in this way a union (including an official one, in many countries this is already allowed) with a same-sex partner can be designated. Essentially, this is the same marriage, but in a modern tolerant reading.
So a smooth gold or silver ring on the ring finger of the left hand can symbolize both a completely traditional marital status and a same-sex marriage, both official and unregistered.
When did the tradition begin?
First of all, the shape of the ring or in more ancient times the bracelet symbolizes infinity and eternal love. This closed attribute, worn on the day of engagement or wedding, meant endless happiness and love. According to other interpretations, the ring is a link in the chain with which the newlyweds are now “chained,” which means that the hearts of two loving people are now forever sealed by one destiny, and their union has received a heavenly blessing.
Gold ring, SL (price on link)
Due to the diversity of national traditions, peculiarities of religion and culture of the peoples of the world, there is no general rule on which hand to wear wedding rings on. In countries with different religions, it is customary to wear the accessory on both the right and left hand, but in some eastern countries wearing it is optional, in particular for men.
Why are wedding rings worn on the ring finger?
It is not known for certain why the ring is placed on the ring finger of the right hand. According to one of the most plausible versions, this tradition dates back to Ancient Egypt.
The Egyptians were very knowledgeable in anatomy: the bodies of the pharaohs had to be somehow embalmed. So, they decided that a certain “vein of love” departs from the ring finger, which goes straight to the heart.
Rings that can at least somehow be correlated with modern wedding rings appeared later in Ancient Rome (at least, as historians have been able to unearth). But they were worn exclusively by women, and initially such jewelry was made of iron.
Of course, there is no “vein of love”, and it is not the heart, but the brain that is responsible for our feelings and thoughts. Nevertheless, the Egyptian delusion turned out to be tenacious and spread throughout the entire civilized world of that time, more precisely, to the ancient states of the Black Sea and Mediterranean.
The tradition of giving wedding rings to brides also penetrated into Byzantium, which later turned into Constantinople and became the cradle of Christianity. Together with the expansion of Christianity, it began to spread to the north, east and west, and later came to Rus'.
Gold ring made of white gold in the SUNLIGHT catalog
The exchange of rings has become a necessary element of the betrothal ceremony (and not the wedding, as some mistakenly believe). Initially, betrothal was akin to a pre-Christian conspiracy: it could take place many years before the official wedding and represented, first of all, the economic obligations of the families of the bride and groom in relation to each other.
Over time, the rites of betrothal and wedding began to take place on the same day, sequentially one after another. And for some reason the church rings of the newlyweds began to be called wedding rings, although in fact they are wedding rings.
In the Orthodox tradition, during the betrothal ceremony, rings are exchanged three times. Moreover, in the end, the groom’s ring ends up with the bride and vice versa, and these complex jewelry is put on the ring fingers of the right hands.
In the era of the USSR, church marriages, to put it mildly, were not welcomed. Moreover, in the first decades of Soviet power, marriage registration was reduced to an ordinary painting. But the people wanted something sublime, and the authorities met their aspirations halfway.
As a result, many elements of the church ceremony were reinterpreted in a secular manner: luxurious wedding palaces appeared, brides wore wedding dresses, and the exchange of rings became an integral attribute of the wedding. And they began to put them on the ring fingers of the right hands, according to Orthodox tradition.
In Islam, the exchange of rings between newlyweds is not accepted. Moreover, it is highly discouraged, and Muslim men are completely prohibited from wearing gold. Nevertheless, in Tatarstan, Bashkiria and Chechnya, which are the strongholds of Islam in Russia, wedding rings are ubiquitous.
What was it like in Ancient Rome and Greece?
One of the most ancient references to wedding rings is the mention by the ancient Greek thinker Plutarch of Apion’s essay “On Egypt,” which justifies wearing this symbol of love on the ring finger as a result of scientific experiments on the human body. Thus, the ancient Egyptians, examining the human body from the inside, discovered a barely noticeable nerve that connects the ring finger directly to the heart, which is not observed in the other fingers. Paying tribute to the importance of the spouses and the involvement of the symbol of love in the heart, it was decided to wear the ring on this finger. Of course, many may be confused by this rationale and methods for discovering this connection. Therefore, it is necessary to mention a beautiful parable that came to us from Ancient China.
What other rings are worn on the ring finger?
As a rule, all rings that are in any way connected with feelings, family, birth and children are worn on the ring fingers. In addition to wedding, engagement and wedding rings, the following are worn on the ring fingers:
- Chastity or eternity rings. Similar rings are smooth rings with diamond tracks or jewelry with a stylized infinity symbol.
- Chastity rings. These are jewelry symbolizing the vow of chastity and voluntary renunciation of premarital sexual relations.
- Gifts for mothers for the birth of children. A very interesting custom, still in its infancy: a happy father gives a ring to his wife for the birth of his first child.
- Anniversary rings. A wedding can be not only official, “green,” but also wooden, tin, silver, and so on. Often, for example, a wooden ring on the ring finger means that the spouses have lived together for 5 years.
- Signets. Once upon a time, signets were used exclusively by members of noble families to seal letters and confirm contracts. Family coats of arms and monograms were applied to them, so their position on the ring fingers is quite justified.
- Half rings. Another fashion trend: rings representing two halves of one whole, for example, yin and yang, moon and sun, and so on. They are given to each other by lovers as a sign of an unbreakable internal connection.
- Jewelry with sacred symbols. Slavic symbols, zodiac signs, futhark runes, Chinese and Japanese characters - all of them can be positioned on the ring fingers if their meaning is close to you.
And sometimes rings are just decorations without any sacred meaning. They are worn just because they like it!
03.11.21
Ancient China
Chinese culture is rich in symbols and beautiful rationales for simple things. Thus, the Chinese tradition speaks very simply and beautifully about choosing a finger to wear a ring.
Chinese culture encourages us to consider our hands as symbols of those closest to us. In their opinion, thumbs will represent the father and mother of a person. Index fingers are a symbol of close relatives (brothers, sisters). For the person himself, the symbol will be the middle finger. The ring finger is a partner, and the little fingers are symbols of descendants. If we connect all the fingers together, while removing the middle fingers inside the palm, we will be able to see the real state of things in the world. In this position of the hands, the thumbs, which represent the parents, are very easy to spread in different directions, reflecting the fact that the parents are not always next to the person. With brothers and sisters, the paths of life also diverge, as a result of which the index fingers can be opened. No matter how much we are attached to our children, they will leave the parental hearth and go their own way - the little fingers can be opened. And only the ring fingers, no matter how hard you try, cannot be opened. In such a simple and clear form, Ancient China showed that everything in the world is changing, and the people who are with us can leave our lives, but only our partner will remain close.
