ring

an ornament worn on the finger among most of the world’s peoples. Bone rings originated during the Paleolithic, and metal rings during the Bronze Age.

Seal rings with carved inscriptions or designs were common in ancient Egypt. The wax impression made with the ring served as the owner’s signature. Later, the Aegean peoples, the Greeks, and the Etruscans wore seal rings, which were often set with gems. In the Roman Republic senators and equites wore gold finger rings; ordinary citizens wore iron ones. Under the Roman Empire this rule was abolished, and in the third century all freeborn persons were granted the right to wear gold rings, and all freedmen the right to wear silver rings. In ancient Rus’ gold and silver rings with engraved or embossed designs were favored in the cities. Copper rings with geometric designs were worn in the countryside. In succeeding periods, gold or silver rings set with precious or semiprecious stones became common.

The ring worn by a Catholic bishop is a symbol of authority. Among many of the peoples of the world smooth, unornamented rings are used as wedding bands, following a custom that originated in ancient Rome.

a simple form of monopolistic association. It is a temporary speculative combination of several capitalists for the purpose of buying up a commodity on the market or holding the commodity in storage until it can be most profitably sold at inflated prices. The first rings appeared in the Middle Ages and were agreements between individual merchants for the establishment of monopolies. Under the conditions of industrial capitalism, rings usually appeared in times of general shortages of commodities resulting from, for example, wars or natural disasters. In the epoch of imperialism rings have been used by the monopolies as one means of establishing monopoly prices in order to increase profit.