Rings are jewelry that fit snugly around or within a part of the body, like the finger. They can be made from almost any hard material, such as wood or stone, or metals such as gold or silver, and they are often decorated with gemstones. They can be worn on the fingers, the ears or other parts of the body. Rings are typically circular in shape, but they can also be square or oval or any other form.
Rings have been used for millennia to signify various social, cultural and/or religious functions, including marriage, exceptional achievement, high status or authority, membership in an organization, and the like. In modern times, rings are worn as simple ornaments and symbols of adornment. Finely-crafted modern rings can be hand- or machine-made, and may feature standard-sized precious stones. They can be engraved with personal or sentimental messages, or simply feature a plain band.
The most familiar ring is the wedding ring, exchanged between a man and woman during their marriage ceremony to symbolise their commitment to one another. This tradition is a long-standing and deeply rooted aspect of the institution of marriage and many couples choose to wear their rings on special occasions such as weddings, engagements, or to mark important milestones in their relationship such as babies being born.
A ring is also commonly associated with wealth, status and power, which makes it a popular gift for loved ones. A personalised ring is a great way to show someone that you care and to celebrate a significant event in their lives, such as a birthday, graduation or anniversary.
In mathematics, a ring is a set that has pointwise addition and multiplication (or its inverse) as operations. Examples include the cyclic groups Z mathbbZ_n under their mod-nn operations; the polynomial rings of integers; and, more generally, monoids internal to abelian groups and stable infinity-categories, which are fundamental objects in number theory and algebraic geometry.
If you’re looking to add a little something extra to your everyday jewellery, our curation of fashion rings from Mejuri, Sophie Buhai, Lie Studio, Agmes and Charlotte Chesne will give you the perfect look. If you’re not sure what size ring to order, we recommend measuring the circumference of your finger by wrapping a string around it and then using this chart from Mejuri to see which size you should order.
We spoke to nail artist Sydney Fischer from @nailsbysmf, stylist Jamie Grimstad and writer Diana Tsui to discover their favourite ways to style a ring. From subtle touches that make a difference to larger design features, discover their top tips and tricks below.