What started out as an accessory hunting exercise for some sort of jewelry to finish off a fancy dress costume turned into the beginning of a bit of an obsession and collection of armor rings. I was blown away by what I saw and it has all kind of gone from there.
Until that first foray into looking for what I now consider to be my own personal treasure, I had never seen or heard of armor rings. Seems that they were a little known about finger adornment unless you happen to prefer the Gothic style of dress and follow that particular trend, in which case I suspect that you will be sitting and nodding your head knowingly.
Well, the cat is now out of the bag and with fashion ideas becoming ever more distinctive and eye catching it is easy to see why these fantastic pieces have started to catch on and take off worldwide. Especially when some pretty iconic designers such as Vivienne Westwood have now picked up on and put their mark on them in their own quirky and unique way, they are now very much in the limelight.
What is so special about a ring anyway you may well ask? Probably because they are not quite what you might expect and the stereotypical round and containing a few stones to catch your eye that would normally spring to mind is way off the mark. Yes, by definition you wear them on your finger so, technically you have a ring but, after that I think that you have to see them to really appreciate the true nature of their uniqueness.
Generally made in 2 or 3 pieces of either pewter or sterling silver they slip over your finger covering from the base through to your second knuckle or just below your fingernail. That might sound uncomfortable to wear but, the clever thing is that the joints are in the same places as your own fingers and so move freely and easily and they are in fact very comfy to wear.
I am really not sure of the historical background and origins but, with names like Gothic ring, medieval ring and full finger ring also being used to describe them and if I am honest, very much depicted and represented in some of the styles and designs then maybe it not be wrong to suggest that they have been around for quite some time but, have sat quietly and unassumingly in the back ground.
They certainly are visually impactive and very different to look at and considering Gothic architecture is so striking with the amazing pointed arches and breathtaking stone carving which made it so awesome and different at the time, you maybe get the idea of why these finger adornments are to be revered and respected.
I actually started to feel a bit guilty that I was considering using armor rings as a fancy dress accessory because although they are perfectly suited for just that, they seem to ooze an understated aura of mystery and charm and deserve to be worn with a quiet pride all of the time and they are more than capable of speaking volumes for themselves, for sure. Gold necklaces
