Introduction

A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewellery around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings.

Rings are worn by both men and women and can be of any quality. Rings can be made of metal, plastic, wood, bone, glass, gemstone and other materials. They may be set with a "stone" of some sort, which is often a precious or semi-precious gemstone such as ruby, sapphire or emerald, but can also be of almost any material.

The custom of giving and receiving rings dates back over 4,800 years. The fourth digit or ring finger of the hand has become the customary place to wear a wedding ring in much of the world, a practice that appears to be spreading. It stems from a 16th-century Tudor belief that the left-handed ring finger was connected by a vein directly to the heart; thus, wearing a ring on the third finger demonstrated that the wearer was in a relationship. However, there are many traditions in which the ring is now worn on the right hand.