RINGS

Mankind has believed in the special powers and capabilities of gemstones since many centuries. Gemstones were earlier worn as simple pendants or amulets and supposed to protect the person wearing them from evil forces.

The first rings that were made did not have any gemstones at all. These were silver, gold or copper rings in a flat or rounded style. Gemstone rings gradually evolved and the beliefs in the powers of gemstones spread to rings with gemstones too. Gemstone rings made with these beliefs are common even today. Here are a few popular types of gemstonerings that can be found today.

(1) Birthstone Rings: It is believed that there is a gemstone that represents every month in the year and is thus related to a zodiac sign. Gemstone rings with a birthstone are supposed to bring good luck and ward off evil. Gemstone rings worn as birthstone rings are usually made with a single gemstone.

(2) Anniversary Rings: Similar to birthstones, anniversary rings are made for each year of marriage. The second year of marriage is represented by the garnet gemstone, the tenth year by a diamond ring and so on. Anniversary gem stone rings are a bit more fancy and normally include a few small diamonds to add glitter to the ring too.

(3) Family Birthstone Rings: These are a special category of gemstone rings where, each ring has the birthstone of all the members of the family. These would be a type of multi-gemstone ring. In cases where members of a family are spread in geographically far off places, family birth stone rings provide a kind of spiritual bonding.

(4) Multi Gemstone Rings: As mentioned above, family birthstone rings are a kind of multi gemstonerings. There are other reasons why people make rings with multiple gemstones, it is believed that a combination of gemstones with special powers in the same ring, increases the effectiveness of the gemstones. A simpler reason is that, gemstones rings with multiple gemstones can match with a variety of colored garments.

(5) Wedding and Engagement Rings: The engagement ring is almost always a gemstone ring with diamonds adding accent to it. Made on a comparatively higher budget, gemstone rings for engagements use gemstones like rubies, sapphires, emeralds etc. Wedding rings are made as gemstone rings in a few countries, however most people prefer simple gold or silver bands for wedding rings. The more exotic gemstone rings are created as engagement rings.

(6) Religious and Mythological Rings: A classic example of such a gemstone ring is the 'navratan' ring that is prominent in Hindu mythology. The ring comprises of 9 gemstones, each with a special power of it's own. Thai mythology also has a gemstone ring called the 'nok-phak-kow' ring that has 9 gemstones.

(7) Historical Jewels: The ring that immediately comes to mind is the Claddagh ring with a rich cultural heritage and a legend that dates back to over 300 years. This Irish ring was first made without any gemstone, but designs evolved that combined birthstones with the Claddagh ring.