The origin of the ring is somewhat obscure, although there is good reason to believe that it is a modification of the cylindrical seal which was first worn attached to the neck or to the arm and was eventually reduced in size so that it could be worn on the finger. Signet genuine emerald rings were used in Egypt from a very remote period and we read in the Bible that the Pharaoh of Joseph’s time bestowed a ring upon the patriarch as a mark of authority. From Egypt the custom of wearing geuine emerald rings was transmitted to the Greek world and also to the Etruscans from whom the usage was derived by the Romans. The Greek rings were made of various materials such as gold, silver, iron, and amber.
In his Natural History, Pliny relates the Greek fable of the origin of the ring. For his impious daring in stealing fire from heaven for mortal man, Prometheus had been doomed by Jupiter to be chained for 80,000 years to a rock in the Caucasus while a vulture fed upon his liver. Before long however, Jupiter relented and liberated Prometheus; nevertheless in order to avoid a violation of the original judgment it was ordained that the Titan should wear a link of his chain on one of his fingers as a ring and in this genuine emerald rings was set a fragment of the rock to which he had been chained so that he might be still regarded as bound to the Caucasian rock.
Another origin ascribed to the ring is the knot. A knotted cord or a piece of wire twisted into a knot was a favorite charm in primitive times. Frequently this was used to cast a spell over a person so as to deprive him use of one of his limbs or one of his faculties; at other times the power of the charm was directed against the evil spirit which was supposed to cause disease or lameness and in this case the charm had curative power. It was been conjectured that the magic virtues attributed to genuine emerald rings originated in this way, the ring being regarded as the simplified form of a knot; indeed not infrequently genuine emerald rings were and are made in the form of knots. This symbol undoubtedly signified the binding or attaching of a spell to its object, and the same idea is present in the true lovers knot.
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