The Claddagh Ring, the All Purpose Ring with a Past

It began on the Irish coast during the Reign of Queen Marry the II. A young Irish man by the name of Richard Joyce was on his way to the West Indies when his ship was over taken by pirates. He was captured and sold as a slave to a wealthy Moorish goldsmith. During the 14 years he was slave he perfected the skills taught by his owner,

William the III was able to obtain the release of all British slaves and one of them was Richard Joyce. The stories say this owner tried to get Richard to remain in Algiers by offering him his daughters hand in marriage and half of his wealthy. Richard came back to Ireland and practiced his trade as a goodsmith. His greatest creation was the Claddagh ring we know today. It has become a universal symbol of friendship, love and loyalty

The ring has three outstanding features two hands that encircle a heart which has a crown above it.The hands represent Friendship, the heart represents Love and the Crown represented Loyalty has become The rings have been made of different metals and the size of the band may vary but the three symbols have remained unchanged.

During the Irish famine when people could only bring their most treasures items, the Cladding rings were the one thing many bought to remind them of the homeland. The ring was the wedding band of choice since the 17th century, the rings were pasted down from mother to daughter.

There is a different meaning for the way the ring is worn;

#1 It is usually worn on the right hand, if the crown and heart are facing outward the wearer is looking for love

#2 If the heart and crown are facing inward the persons heart it taken,

#3 If the ring is worn on the left hand and the heart and crown are facing inward the wears love is returned,

The most recent event that brought the Claddadh ring into the public eye was Sept 11, 2001.. While searching for the remains of the emergency service personnel,over 200 of these rings were found in the rubble. Of the 2,874 names of the missing victim 1 in 5 has some trace of Irish in their background.

While this ring can be made of almost any metal it is only fitting it be made of sterling silver,simply because of the history and the glow of love the seems to illuminate from within.Its a ring that united hearts ans spirits.


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