The rings on a ring-finger – there is no doubt, it shows the family status. If a person wants to indicate his family status, a ring is being worn in this finger. Ancient Egyptians initiated the ring wearing tradition on the ring-finger since they believed that so called “love artery” is located in this finger and leads directly to the heart. Pharaohs were wearing wedding rings made of different metals, glass or ceramic on these fingers strongly believing in it. Ancient Rome started making wedding rings using metal – it was a time when appeared the tradition to present a partner iron or bronze rings that meant the stability of marriage and sting nuptial ties. Gold wedding rings that are well known nowadays appeared only in 13th – 14th centuries.

The rings on the forefinger – it shows the desire for the power. Many well known governors were wearing rings on the forefinger – Cesar, Ivan the Terrible, Cardinal Richelieu, Henry the VIII. The last one, was knowingly wearing the rings on the forefinger – moreover, there were both of his rings on the forefinger. In this way his powerful monarch, cynic and paranoiac person was eternalized in all his portraits.

The rings on the middle finger.  This way is the expression of the resolution “I am beautiful”. Middle and the tallest finger is the one that shows the jewellery in the most demonstrative way. Marilyn Monroe used to wear the rings on the middle finger when singing the song about Girls and Diamonds. By the way, the size of the diamond matters – the bigger the diamond is, the more its owner tries to persuade others about his/her attractiveness.

The rings on thumb are worth of a special attention, especially if they are worn by men. Using this finger (also while stopping the cars) men give a signal “pay attention”. According to the psychologists, the main idea of a person wearing the ring on this finger is to manifest him at any possible way and mainly – sexually. This consideration has been unchangeable for two thousand years – the ancient Greeks and Romans saw a thumb as a symbol of a phallus and were wearing the iron rings on it to demonstrate their masculine power.

The rings on the little finger show the creative potential. The rings on the little finger are usually worn by the artists, actresses and actors, designers and other representatives of a creative sphere. One of the brightest examples are Marlene Dietrich who often wore the rings on that finger. Even if a person wearing the ring on the little finger is not an artist, the ring demonstrates his or her artistic skills and interests as well as ability to break away from the regular frames of society.

The rings on the toes – nowadays it is not a rarity. Toe rings are popular among young people and teenagers. The toe, where the ring is put, does not have any particular meaning; it just shows the desire to be notable. The psychologists are unanimous – these people want to be seen and noticed as they cannot survive without the attention of other people. They often see themselves as more important than others and especially if the ring is very well seen and available for wider consideration.

Some useful tips choosing the ring:

• The rings with oval, longish stones make hand look more beautiful;
• Wide rings with big stones are not suitable for short ladies as well as for ones whose fingers are thin and short;
• A small and tiny ring worn by a girl will look much better than the big and massive one;
• If there are many fingers put on one finger, the person is supposed to be tasteless;
• Huge stones and massive rings are not provided for every-day use. Such exclusive rings might be worn on special occasions;
• Silver and gold rings should not be put on one hand as the jewelleries lose their attractiveness and the effect of a mixture appears. The same effect will be caused by three rings with different stone colours being put on one finger;
• Complicated and exclusive design rings as well as the rings with huge stones should be worn as the only one on the fingers otherwise their beauty will not be noticeable. 

The materials that are most suitable for rings

Speaking about materials that are used to make rings, precious metals – silver and gold – should be mentioned as the most appropriate ones as they do not react so actively with the compounds of the environment and do not colour the skin under the ring. However, according to the specialists, bronze, cooper and iron have more powerful effect to the body and they have some healing qualities as well. The lack of iron in the body cause health problems and being in contact with the body it can give a huge influence onto the organs. Iron amulets, bracelets, brooches and rings made of iron were worn during the ancient times, as people believed that a particular energetic program is encoded into these accessories. An iron ring on the little finger improves the blood circulation, on the middle finger – it affects the blood vessels and nerves, on forefinger – a large intensive is affected but on thumb – the functioning of lungs is affected. The iron ring can help to avoid of depression but if a depression is a problem that worried you, do not wear the iron ring on the middle finger. Iron rings are cleaned with salt but it can be also done by heating it up to the incandescence. Preferably, it should be done during the change of the Moon phases. The iron that is heated up to the incandescence becomes “sterile” and is able to take all negative energies into it.

Wedding rings

What are wedding rings?

Wedding rings are traditionally made of gold or silver. They are worn on the ring-fingers of the left or right hand. The wedding ring is a symbol of marriage ties wearing by the spouses as the proof of mutual trust.

Let’s see what the psychologists say about the wedding rings.

They suppose that the wedding ring and its design are closely connected with the circle of the married life.  Narrow, classical 2-4mm wide wedding ring speaks for a satisfaction with a partner. If a person is carrying a narrow wedding ring, he or she is not tended to sexual affairs and most likely their marriage will be long lasting. However the ones should be aware about the routine that might make their lives boring.
Wide and thick wedding ring (width more than 4 mm) indicated instability in relationship. The ones who have wide wedding rings want to protect themselves from a possible divorce and separation. Wedding rings with different ornaments – engravings, grooves, plies and diamonds – shows that their bearers unaware want have deeper and richer relations. It is possible that there will be a lack of passion and love un the nearest future is to bring boring mutual life.

Wedding rings – where and when did their exchange tradition start?

Modern wedding ceremony cannot be imaginable without the mutual exchange of rings. Since the ancient times people have wanted to demonstrate their mutual belonging. The history tells us that at that times people used to tie a twisted grass stalk around the palms and ankles symbolising the mutual connection and belonging. Later on – the ring became a symbol of union. They were made of different materials – hemps, reeds, grass and other natural materials. It was believed thay such rings protect bearers from death. The ancient Egypt brought a tradition to exchange rings during the wedding ceremony. This process was a symbol of trust, love and indestructible union. Once put on, the wedding ring had never taken off. The Christians borrowed this tradition and canonized it and since then the rings exchange has become an integral part of all wedding ceremonies.

What is symbolized by a wedding ring?

• A circle – round form without the beginning and end is a symbol of eternity and love.
• Precious metal – a symbol of purity and virginity.

What wedding rings have come into fashion nowadays?

Nowadays, the wedding ring has maintained its initial signification however its design has been dramatically changes over the centuries. The history shows us rather simple wedding rings but today more and more couples prefer exclusive wedding rings, made of elegant combinations of the precious metal decorated with gems. The wedding rings are usually made of gold however other metals become more and more demanded as well.  

Which hand are the rings usually put on in different countries?

Right hand.  The wedding ring is usually put on the ring-finger of the right hand in Central and Eastern Europe countries. The people from Chile, Spain, Greece, India and Venezuela also wears the wedding ring on the right hand ring-finger.
Left hand. Cuba, Brazil, France, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Slovenia, Sweden, USA, Great Britain, Italy and Turkey are the countries which inhabitants wear the wedding ring on the left hand ring-finger.

Wedding ring – beliefs and customs.
A tradition of the wedding rings envisages two rings: wedding and engagement ones.

The engagement ring. This ring is a present given by a groom to a bride. This ring is given during the announcement for the engagement. A bride wears the engagement ring on the right hand ring-finer until the wedding day. During the wedding ceremony, the wedding ring is worn on the same finger. Later on, after the wedding both these rings are being worn on one finger or the engagement ring is replaced by the wedding ring.  

During the period of several centuries, the wedding ring has been endowed by a mystical power – ability to affect the fate of the married ones. There are many beliefs proving it:

• Broken or lost wedding ring is a separation knell.
• It is believed that giving a wedding ring to other people is a foreboding.
• If a person drops a wedding ring before or after wedding ceremony, the marriage will not be happy.
• Parents are allowed to give their wedding rings to children only if their married has been successful.
• If a person after divorce is wearing the wedding ring on the left hand, it is an indicator saying that this person is single.  

Wedding ring and health

Have you ever heard of acupuncture? If yes, you should know that this method is based on biologically active point onto the person’s body. Irritating these points you provide a strong influence to your body.
The biggest number of those points is hidden in the earlobe, fingers, palms and feet. There are more than 400 active points on the elbow alone. Each point is responsible for a particular body function, e.g. heart, liver and stomach functioning.

The points that are located on the ring-finger are responsible for the functions of the endocrine system, lower part of the spine and even for the tonus of the blood vessels. In a word – the points on the ring-finger are the ones that detect our sexual life.

A simple gold ring regularly affects these active points, gently irritating them and stimulating a sexual life better than Viagra does. 

It is supposed that a ring can fatefully affect a woman’s life. There have been cases when an infertile woman could become pregnant when stooped wearing the wedding ring.

The scientists have proven that wearing a narrow ring on the forefinger can be a reason for osteochondrosis and radiculitis. Atheroschlerosis and high blood pressure can arise if the middle finger is pinched but the pathology of duodenum can be caused by the long lasting pressure of the little finger.      
     

Why to engrave the rings?

The choice of wedding rings is one of the most important events for the new couples. Ring is a symbol of sustainable and eternal love that testifies the feelings of both partners. Many couples want to make the exchange of rings even more special and choose the engraving. It can be a partner’s name, the date of the wedding date or some intimate message that is usually asked to be engraved. 
There are several reasons why the wedding rings have engravings. Firstly, it is an excellent way how to express the solidarity to the new partner. It might also be the expression of your feelings. The engraving of the wedding rings will give you nice memories about the moment when two hearts joined to give happiness and love to each other. Do not forget that engraving is a tradition that is devoted specially for this event and will remain many hundreds of years. And finally – engraving a personal message you will feel that these rings will belong only to you.

Engraving: history and traditions. According to the ancient history, the wedding ring is the last present followed by the engagement ring that symbolises care and courting. Most likely, engraving traditions were originated in Europe where the groom’s name and wedding date were the family symbols. 

Rings in the history of Latvia

Latvian folk songs say that ring is a jewellery and luxury, which pays people’s attention not only because of its precious metal but also with the elegant form at the same time indicating the bearer’s wealth. Ring has a significant role in men and women’s lives as it expresses their mutual liabilities and responsibilities. There were known such rings as conjure rings, fortunetelling and signet-rings.

Paying attention to the history of rings we should mention they the monuments of the material culture provide much older information about them than the literature. At the beginning and end of the Bronze Age, the bronze spiral rings were all over the Europe and in the Baltic as well. The archaeological excavations testify that there were beautiful 8-twine spiral rings made of trihedron strand with the ends twined in a shell. Similar spiral rings were found also 2,5 thousand years later in Latvia. These spiral rings is very popular kind of rings that has existed in all times along the other ring forms.

If we would like to know more about Latvian rings, we have to ask the archaeology that can provide the most trustworthy information. The Latvian folk songs speak a lot about the rings and, taking into account that the time when the folk songs appeared was 13th – 15th century, we can be sure that they will give us plenty of information about the rings and the traditions connecting with them.

There were much more rings discovered in the burial places of Early Iron Age in Latvia than in Estonia. The excavations show that both men and women were wearing rings and only some burials were without any rings at all. Five even six rings were found in one burial place, e.g. Isnauda (Ludza region, Zvirgzdene parish) was interesting with the fact that there were six rings found in one burial but six spiral rings were found in Lazdiņi burial places (Cēsis district, Taurenes parish).

The rings were worn by one on each finger. The biggest part of the found ones was spiral rings. Most often the rings were worn on three middle fingers.  

Namejs ring

One of the most popular imitations of the Baltic jewelleries is Namejs ring – jewellers and the ones who are wearing rings use this notion to accentuate a particular form of the ring. Most often we see this ring on the men’s fingers however there are also ladies who are wearing it. Original of the ring was found in Latgale, in the castle ruins by both banks of the Daugava. 

Namejs ring is a rare finding because during its making process a careful and competent jeweller’s work is needed and we suppose that is was very expensive as usually these rings were made of silver. Namejs was the leader of Zemgale inhabitants but the rings were found at this location place – Daugmale caste – in the 30-ties of the 20th century.

However, most likely, Namejs had not seen this ring – the rings found in the burial places are dated with the 12th century or early 13th century and Namejs were not even born at that time. The ring that was found in Daugmale castle was mist likely the belonging of some later trader as it was the trading line crossing Latvia. 

However, nation believed into the legend that derived from the history interlacing with the story and there is no sense in years and truth – people love and believe in idea. Namejs ring is a symbol of Latvia and Latvians in all over the world. Seeing a person with such a ring you can be sure – he is Latvian. And even this person has never been to Latvia, there is surely something that connects him with Latvia.  (http://www.bank.lv/)

Rings in Latvian folk songs

The life of our ancestries is depicted in the folk songs like in the mirror. It is like a diary which can be opened page by page and can be read whenever it is necessary. Revising nearly 3 thousands folk songs where the ring is mentioned we can imagine all the special occasions that were celebrated by our ancestries – from the cradle to the grave.   
Gold is the most mentioned metal in the folk songs. Archaeologists have not found many gold rings in the burial places in Latvia therefore it is difficult to say whether the folk songs really spoke about the gold as a metal. Most likely gold carried the poetic meaning.

Our offer – Latvian archaeological and ethnographical rings

	Ring No. 234 The bride’s or seven-day ring – the most commonly met ring during the Late Iron Age. During the first half of this Age these rings were made of trihedron or half-circle strand but the full-circle strand was used later, at the end of this Age. Usually the number of twines is from 6 to 8, however there are also rings with 12-15 twines. During the period of the 11th century, these rings were decorated with pendants that were appended at the loop or attached with the chains at the length of 3-5cm.
	Ring No. 194 Spiral-ring. During the second half of the Late Iron Age the spiral-rings with a wider twiner appeared. If we look at cross-section, it is either segment-shaped or decorated with sun ornament. These rings were made at the width of 3-5 twines, the wing twines are usually decorated with the cross lines. These rings were found in the burial places in Cēsis and Madona regions and are referable to the 11th century.
	Ring No. 416 Original ring found at Kalsnava, Madona region. Referable to the 11th century.
	Ring No. 43 Very popular ring with wider twine imitating the strap in front.  This ring is also referable to the 11th century but they are met in the archaeological excavations up to the 14th century. These rings and the coins dated with the 14th century were found at Kalsnava, Madona region
	Ring No. 10 This ring with the nick Piebalgas ring was found in the burial places in Jaunpiebalga. It imitates twines at two opposite directions, making a form of an ear.
	Ring No. 381 This ring was found in Bārbele, Bauskas region and is referable to the beginning of the 19th century.
	Ring No. 99 Rre ring that was found in Ludza, Odu hill. More often found in Estonia. They are made from a flat wire which ends were cleave and rolled up making a form of a shell. Similar rings were met also in the Early Iron Age and are Referable to the 10th - 11th century.  Sārnate, Ventspils region.
	Ring No. 42 Engagement rings that are inherent to Kurzeme with the symbols of joined hands. There rings are referable to the second half of the 17th century.
	Ring  No. 259 The ring, which symbols – cross, anchor and heart – depict such eternal values as trust, hope and love. These rings were used as engagement and wedding rings and referable to the end of the 19th century.
	Ring No. 17 One of the most popular Baltic rings is Nameja ring – both jewellers and archaeologists use this notion to accentuate a particular form of the ring. Most often we see this ring on the men’s fingers however there are also ladies who are wearing it. Original of the ring was found in Latgale, in the castle ruins by both banks of the Daugava.    Namejs ring is a rare finding because during its making process a careful and competent jeweller’s work is needed and we suppose that is was very expensive as usually these rings were made of silver. Namejs was the leader of Zemgale inhabitants but the rings were found at this location place – Daugmale caste – in the 30-ties of the 20th century. However, most likely, Namejs had not seen this ring – the rings found in the burial places are dated with the 12th century or early 13th century and Namejs were not even born at that time. The ring that was found in Daugmale castle was mist likely the belonging of some later trader as it was the trading line crossing Latvia.  However, nation believed into the legend that derived from the history interlacing with the story and there is no sense in years and truth – people love and believe in idea. Namejs ring is a symbol of Latvia and Latvians in all over the world. Seeing a person with such a ring you can be sure – he is Latvian. And even this person has never been to Latvia, there is surely something that connects him with Latvia.
	Ring No. 136 Ring with Latvian mythological signs. Mara cross (Māras krusts). Symmetric cross with the crossed ends. Sometimes it is called a cross. The symbol of the dead souls and fire. This sign depicts the eternity of the dead souls’ world as their expression have the beginning and the end. This sign is closely connected with fire, house and fertility. The subject with the Māra cross on, can be sacrificed to Māra, receiving blessing and custody as a feedback. Austra tree (Austras koks). The symbol of the World Tree. It is based on Māra waters. The foliated tree indicates the mental power. The sun rises and sets through Austra tree. It is a symbol of the morning as well. Austra tree is not a sign – it is an argument.   Garden – well (Dārziņš (Aka)). This sign protects a family. If this sign is interweaved into the belt, it helps to provide magic activities such as conjuring, prediction, fortunetelling etc. This sign can be drawn to everyday objects because the Garden connects people and God, the power and advice of God. Adder (Zalkša zīme). It symbolizes wisdom and curiosity. The ones who are wearing this sign are supposed to be the clever and wise ones. This sign is an adder. There are different colours of adders but the most powerful is the white one. Adder is connected with the dead souls and rituals. It is used as a symbol of underground. Usually used by the seers. Jumis – the spirit of fields (Jumis). Derivate from golden or God cross. Jumis brings fertility, wealth and that is a reason why Latvians put this sign on the roof of the house. When there is a lack of money, 81 Jumis signs have to be cut into a purse – it is going to bring the wealth. Jumis is a sign that most commonly used in everyday objects. Several harvest rituals are connected with Jumis. Star (Zvaigznes zīme). The third most important sign of the heavenly bodies is a Star. It plays a significant role preventing the power of darkness and lower world. The Star is often sen in the ornaments of Nordic countries – in the blankets, head ornaments, clothes, gloves, on the window sills and doors. The blanket with stars protects the one who is sleeping under it. Usins (Ūsiņa zīme). Usins sign that is often seen in the gloves looks like two E letters put together backwards. It symbolizes the horses of an ancient Light God Usins – the carriers of the Sun. The gloves with this sign provide a good trip for the ones who are travelling.

Information source: www.bank.lv; www.wikipedija.org