Rings are circular bands of metal, usually gold or silver, worn on a finger as ornamental jewellery. A ring may be set with gemstones or other types of stone for decorative purposes, and it may be plain or fancy. Rings are sometimes worn to signify a commitment to a spouse or partner, as a symbol of betrothal or marriage, and to mark other significant events. They are also worn as fashion accessories, and can be made from almost any hard material. The term ring is often used interchangeably with other types of jewellery, such as earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.
The ring is an important symbol in many cultures and religions, and has been associated with ideas of unity and eternal love. The ring is also a common element in many rites of passage and ceremonies, such as baptism and initiation. Many a bride and groom exchange rings at their wedding ceremony, as a symbol of their commitment to each other and to continue the family lineage. Many children are given a ring by their parents to symbolize their coming of age, and they wear the ring throughout life to remind them of that moment and the promise made to their parents.
For many people, the ring is a symbol of personal style and individuality, as well as a sign of affection or commitment. Some rings are even symbolic of a religious faith or cultural heritage, and some have special meanings for their owners. There are even some who believe that certain rings can bring good luck or protect against evil.
Many couples take their rings off for reasons that range from very practical (like having a job that isn’t conducive to wearing jewelry) to very emotional and symbolic (like not wanting to remember the time they were engaged). It is very sad when couples take their rings off because it signifies that they have stopped making the choice to make each other a priority in their lives, but there are still some who are determined to keep their rings on, even in the face of challenges.
In mathematics, a ring is an algebraic structure that generalizes fields in the way that a field does, except that multiplication need not be commutative and multiplicative inverses need not exist. A ring can be made from a set equipped with two binary operations that satisfy the properties of addition and multiplication, but it can also be constructed from non-numerical objects such as polynomials, square matrices, functions, and power series. Rings can be classified in various ways, but the most widely accepted classification is that of Noether rings, which have a monad structure and a bounded extension. Most or all mathematics books up to about 1960 followed Noether’s convention, but from the 1960s onwards, it has become more common to use a broader definition of ring that includes the notion of topos and monad. This definition allows for the existence of rings with properties that are not normally included in the standard definition, such as a multiplicative identity.