A finger ring is a 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.
Various ring shapes and styles exist. The following are but a few.
Flat wedding bands are the simplest form of ring that can be made. A flat wedding band basically consists of a strip of metal that is bent around and soldered where the ends meet.
Half-round rings, also called D-shape rings, are flat wedding bands that are filed half-round on the outside.
Sleeve rings are rings that consist of a thin inner ring or sleeve, with several other rings stacked onto it to form one solid ring. The rings can either be soldered onto the sleeve or the ends of the sleeve can be upset (like a tube rivet) to keep them all together. A little of both can also be done.
Solitaire rings are rings with a single large stone as a centrepiece, usually a diamond.
Eternity rings are rings with stones, usually diamonds, of the same cut and size, set in one row all around the ring. The stones are usually round or square, and the setting is usually either claws or a channel setting. When the stones do not continue around the entire ring, but stop halfway around the finger, it is called a half-eternity ring.
Trinity rings are three rings to be worn at one time. Trinity can be the symbol of religion as holy father, holy son and holy soul.
Cluster rings are rings with a group of stones in a cluster setting, forming the focal point of the ring. The cluster setting usually consists of one large stone (usually round or oval) in the center surrounded with several smaller stones.
