See our: rings.A type of ring to be worn by a man or a woman on one of the fingers, or sometimes on the thumb.The ring consists of two parts:the circular band, called the shank or hoopthe raised part on the front, called the bezel, which is often broadened to support a collet for setting a gemstone, or which bears an engraved, stamped or enamelled motif or a seal or a scarabThe part that includes the bezel and the set stone is sometimes called the chaton.Such rings are of many forms, often depending on the occasion of their use, e.g.coronation ringbetrothal ringengagement ringwedding ringguard ringkeeper ringcocktail ringmourning ringserjeant ringarcher's thumb ringOr the religious significance of the use, e.g.devotional ringecclesiastical ringpapal ringiconographic ringdecade ringOther such rings are of many shapes and styles, e.g.browning ringbunch ringcharm ringcluster ringcoiled ringcoin ringcommemorative ringcrossover ringdouble-hoop ringeternity ringfede ringfinger maskfob ringgiardinetto ringgimmel ringglove ringgrasshopper ringgypsy ringhandkerchief ringinvestiture ringjet ringkey ringlocket ringlover's-knot ringmarquise ringnun's ringpoison ringpolyhedron ringportrait ringposy ringpuzzle ringregard ringscientific ringsnake ringsplit ringstirrup ringswivel ringthumb ringtrinity ringtwin-bezel ringwatch ringwidow's ringwire ringOriginally one finger ring was worn by a person, but from Roman times, and later in the 17th century, men and women wore several rings on any finger as well as on the thumb (and not only on the bottomjoint), and often several on the same finger, including sometimes a guard ring. From the 16th century finger rings were worn by women in various manners, e.g. sewn to a dress or tied on a bow.From c. 1600 in England such rings, when worn on a finger, were sometimes attached to a long black thread or ribbon tied around the wrist, or were worn suspended from a ribbon around the neck orthreaded on a cord around a hat. Men in Germany sometimes wore rings strung on a hat band. When having a portrait painted, especially in Tudor and Stuart times, men and women often wore all of theirrings.A wedding ring was originally worn by the bride on the third finger of the left hand (the belief being that from there a vein, vena amoris, connected with the heart), but in the Middle Ages it wasworn, for a then reversed belief, on the right hand. The wedding ring was placed on the left hand in England, but after the ceremony it was worn on any finger or on the thumb. The wearing of awedding ring by a man, while frequently on the Continent and now also in the United States (and customary in the East), is less frequent in England.Persons wearing gloves sometimes wore a ring over the glove or slashed the glove to reveal it underneath.