Rings became popular during the medieval times, usually to signify the class of the person who wore them.

What is a ring?

Rings are round objects typically made of some form of metal such as iron, copper, silver or gold that may include precious stones. Rings are commonly worn for decoration or to show adornment, but certain types of rings are worn for specific reasons. Rings are worn on the fourth finger of the hand, called the ring finger.

Special significance ring types

Engagement rings are worn by a woman to signify that she is soon to be wed.

Wedding rings are a set of rings worn by a woman and a man to signify that they are married and present themselves as husband and wife.

Class rings are worn by students to signify they have graduated from a specific institution or are about to graduate from an institution such as a high school, college or some other type of higher education program. They are a positive memento of accomplishments and also a way to signify membership to the alma mater of that particular institution. Class rings are usually at least somewhat customized by each student and vary greatly from one student to the next. The most popular metal is gold, but can vary from one ring to the next. The center stone is traditionally one of the schools colors, but some students replace those colors with their birthstone or favorite type of gemstone. The school's name is usually on the side of the ring, with the graduation year on the other side.

Purity rings are worn by religious figures like monks or nuns to signify that they are of pure heart and thoughts.

A signet ring is a ring that bears the ring bearers family insignia or crest, usually in the case of royalty.

Metals commonly used in rings

The most common metal used in ring making is gold. Pure gold is 24 karats, and the least gold measurement is 10 karat. The amount of gold is the difference between the numbers. For example: An 18-karat ring is 18 parts gold and 6 parts of other metal or metals.

Silver is the next most common material used in rings, silver is a soft metal and is used with other metals to make it harder. The finest quality rating for silver is fine and is 99.9 percent silver. Sterling is just below fine in quality ratings and is 92.5 % silver, 7.5% copper. There are many other lower quality ratings such as Mexican silver, German silver, Indian silver and Montana silver. Nickel silver contains no silver at all. To test for silver content, scrape away any plating and place a drop of nitric acid upon it. Sterling silver will display a creamy color while lesser values and silver alloys will display a greenish tint due to the high quantity of copper. Other common metals used in rings are white gold, platinum and titanium.

How to choose a diamond properly for a ring

The setting itself is simply a choice of the favorite style, material and design that the person you are buying the ring for loves.

When searching for a diamond there are some important things to consider, known as the four C's:

Carat- This is a reference to the weight of the diamond, the larger the diamond, the more expensive it becomes. Larger diamonds are more impressive, but certain ring settings are better suited for a smaller carat diamond.

Color- The clearer the diamond, the more valuable the stone, this is true of clear diamonds and pink, blue, yellow, etc as you want to be able to look into your stone.

Clarity- Very few diamonds are perfect in clarity, but ones with less clouds or flaws are more rare which makes them more expensive, with higher quality  diamonds you will need to look under a microscope to see the imperfections.

Cut- This is the cut of the diamond and it's ability to show off the diamonds brilliance as best as possible by reflecting light and giving it that sparkle effect.

Don't choose your wedding ring recklessly, beauty and size is not the only thing to take into consideration when selecting a ring because the ring holds greater meaning. The ring you choose is a symbol of love between a married couple and should be selected to capture this feeling. The wedding ring is meant to be worn for the rest of your life, so select a style that is timeless to you and will not tire of in a few years. Do not spend more than you can afford to spend.