With This Ring...

Exchanging rings and vows are traditional in weddings. It's a special part of the ceremony. While some couples prefer to write their own special vows, some of them prefer classic ones. Here are some examples for the classic vows and some religious ones.

Photograph source:

http://www.raeleytham.net/tag/sandestin-grand-hotel/

Articles about Ring

There are some articles that I found about rings in a matter of history, culture and society, click for full texts:

Some Famous Rings by M.J. Onahan

Rings with a Story by Arthur Anderson

The Wedding Ring by Edward J. Wood

The E-Book of Edward James Wood that article appears: The Wedding Day in All Ages and Countries

The Wedding Ring and Human Behavior: Current Research and Future Directions by Dario Maestripieri

Ancient Rings

Catalogue of a collection of ancient rings. Creator: Seymour de Ricci (1881-1942)

There are some websites which you can see a collection of ancient jewellery and rings and buy them. Some of them consist only one material, and some of them have really good craftmanship with clean surface and transfixed stones/gems (which are really expensive in that case).

What I realise after an examination of ancient rings is although the tools for the workmanship has changed and developed, the most famous and the most worn models are the same since almost the beginning. Even after the Revolution of Industry and mass production. That means physical appearence of rings has reached the maturity level very early in the ancient times. Maybe it's because the production of rings hasn't transformed completely into mechanized. The process still requires handiwork.

Here are some examples of the collections:

Click images for going to websites

Photograph source:

http://library.doaks.org/exhibitions/before_the_blisses/items/show/20

Ring in Art

Matthew Joseph Peak - The Ring

Edmund Charles Tarbell - The Turqouise Ring 1894

John William Godward - The Ring 1898

John William Godward - The Engagement Ring 1891

Michael Frederick Halliday - Measure for the Wedding Ring

John Shirley Fox - The Engagament Ring 1898

Henry Woods - La Promessa Sposa 1890

References:

http://sanguinfineart.com/gallery/editions/art-editions/ring

http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.it/2010/02/henry-woods-la-promessa-sposa.html
http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.it/2009/08/john-william-godward-engagement-ring.html
http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.it/2009/02/john-shirley-fox-engagement-ring.html
http://goldenagepaintings.blogspot.it/2008/08/michael-frederick-halliday.html

http://www.canvaz.com/gallery/22778.htm#sthash.pval0XJj.dpbs

http://www.encore-editions.com/edmund-charles-tarbell-the-turquoise-ring-1894-approximate-original-size-30x25

One of the Deadly Sins: Greed

Among the deadly sins, greed can be related to ring, from some aspects.

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” 
― Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Greed can be explained as demanding more than one's needs. Dostoyevsky linked greed and envy as:

“The world says: "You have needs -- satisfy them. You have as much right as the rich and the mighty. Don't hesitate to satisfy your needs; indeed, expand your needs and demand more." This is the worldly doctrine of today. And they believe that this is freedom. The result for the rich is isolation and suicide, for the poor, envy and murder.” 
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

Firstly, size of the diamond on the ring became a way to show "richness" so it's a kind of show-off tool. It's not for meeting a need, but for display.
Small sizes of diamonds are never thought as "enough" and even the advertisements and campaigns are based on this thought. 

“Greed, envy, sloth, pride and gluttony: these are not vices anymore. No, these are marketing tools. Lust is our way of life. Envy is just a nudge towards another sale. Even in our relationships we consume each other, each of us looking for what we can get out of the other. Our appetites are often satisfied at the expense of those around us. In a dog-eat-dog world we lose part of our humanity.” 
― Jon Foreman

Secondly, another aspect can be manufacturers' greed. Sadly they do whatever it takes to obtain the diamonds. Blood Diamond is  a movie which is about this subject:

Blood Diamond 2006
Director: Edward Zwick
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450259/

[The scene depicts an R.U.F. labour mining camp where captive villagers are forced to mine for diamonds.]

Captain Poison: The Freetown government and their white masters have raped your land to feed their greed! R.U.F. have freed you!

[Armed guards are shown, supervising the captives.]

Captain Poison: No more slave and master here! R.U.F. is fighting for the people! R.U.F. is FIGHTING for Sierra Leone!

[One of the workers finds a diamond and hides it in his mouth, apparently successfully.]

Captain Poison: Any bastard think he would joke with me diamond, I go cut he throat! STOP!

[Captain Poison approaches the worker.]]

Captain Poison: Give it to me!

[The worker takes the diamond out of his mouth and hands it to Poison, who then shoots him.]

References:

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=greed&commit=Search

http://www.diamondsourceva.com/education/caratweight/caratweight.asp

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Blood_Diamond

Ring as an evocative

Also there are some advertisements not for rings but use the meaning of ring as a reminiscent.

For example this award-winning Turkish advertisement for pasta says 'A happy relationship...' and one piece of pasta symbolises the ring on the fork.

KTB Network uses the understanding of 'diamond enhances the value of a ring.'

This correlation represents the relationship between the customer and the network. It also uses the word "partners" to highlight the intention.

References:

http://www.118haber.com/haber/mutlu-makarnaya-odul-418683.htm

http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/venture-capital-ring-3680555/

Advertisements

Vintage Ads:

Contemporary Ads:

References:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/96265294/vintage-pinup-wedding-diamond-engagement
http://www.etsy.com/listing/90220976/vintage-advertisement-princess-diamond
http://www.etsy.com/listing/95977099/vintage-diamond-engagement-ring-pinup?ref=sr_gallery_35&ga_search_query=advertisement+ring&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=IT&ga_vintage_rewrite=vintage+advertisement+ring&ga_original_query=2&ga_search_type=vintage&ga_facet=vintageadvertisement+ring
http://www.wedding-rings-novell.com/novell_news/page/4/
http://youthvoices.net/discussion/diamond-engagement-rings
http://www.tacori.com/blog/sweet-love-the-honey-dipper/

Idioms

1. "put a ring on it"

1.a) to promise something as an engagement/wedding ring symbolizes promises. 

Rochelle: Are you going to call me?
Fred: You Bet. Put a ring on it.
Rochelle: Alright 

1.b)To marry someone, usually a woman. From Beyonce's song "Single Ladies."

"If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it."
-Beyonce, "Single Ladies" 

2. "throw/toss your hat in the ring"  (American & Australian)

to do something that makes it clear you want to compete with other people, especially to compete for a political position 

She's seriously considering throwing her hat in the ring and declaring herself a candidate for the election.

3. "the brass ring"  (American)

success or a reward that you try to achieve, often by competing against other people 

Our aim is to have the best team in the league - the brass ring is there guys, go and get it.

References:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=put+a+ring+on+it

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/throw+hat+in+the+ring
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/the+brass+ring

Ring finger

There are several theories about the name of the "ring finger". In the most of the world, marriage rings are wore on left hands' ring finger. This is about an old belief that finger is directly connected to the heart. Another ancient belief says that fourth finger of the left hand is "magical".