Have you heard the term cocktail ring? To me its always sounded like a group of people meeting up regularly to drink exotic colourful alcoholic beverages but actually a cocktail ring is a bright and colourful ring meant to be worn to parties and special events. The idea of the cocktail ring is that it is glamorous with way too much bling for every day wear.

I have heard that the cocktail ring originated in the illegal drinking dens of the American prohibition. It was a style statement to show that you were part of the in crowd. Whatever its origins the cocktail ring came to be a high fashion symbol in the cocktail era of the later 1940s and 1950s.

A cocktail ring can be made of any materials, gold, silver , platinum or costume jewellery. To be a cocktail ring the metal needs to be set with either a very large stone or lots of smaller stones in bright colours. The idea is all about show.

Cocktail rings have been see on the hands of famous celebrities recently including Kate Beckinsale and Miley Cyrus.

Here are a few super cocktail rings for you to look at, ready to wear to your next big glamorous event.

As super pretty cocktail ring made of 9 carat gold ( fully hallmarked). This ring is set with a large blue oval topaz and a row of sparking real diamonds. The head of this cocktail ring measures about 11 mm wide. This is UK ring size L, USA size 5.75

Art Deco Cocktail ring

A lovely piece of original vintage jewellery. Here is an art deco cocktail ring which will date from circa 1920s to 1940s and has a design typical of the era it was made in. This ring is set with cornflower blue and crystal clear gemstones which test as Sapphires and are most likely lab created. The head of this vintage cocktail ring measures about 1.5 cms long and this is UK ring size R.5, USA size 9

Looking at popular types of vintage rings. The eternity ring is worn on the ring finger in addition to wedding and engagement rings.  The eternity ring is set with gemstones all the way round. These gemstones can be diamonds but also they could be sapphires, emeralds, rubies or any other gemstone of choice. These stones are of uniform shape and size and are very beautiful but a ring set like this can be a little uncomfortable to wear due to the stones in the ring. A more comfortable alternative is the half eternity ring which has gemstones across the part of the ring which shows above the finger but is a plain band round the rest of the ring . The half eternity ring is given for the same reasons as an eternity ring and also worm on the ring finger.

Eternity rings are normally given to symbolise a great event, the birth of a child or an important anniversary.

Your choice of eternity ring can be made of gold, silver or platinum and would normally be chosen in the same metal and carat purity as the wedding and engagement rings.  Different metals worn on the same finger will cause one of the rings to wear more than necessary.

Half eternity ring diamond gold

A very pretty half eternity ring made of fully hallmarked 9 carat gold and set with 3 blue gemstones ( Spinels I think) and 4 diamonds. The shank of the ring is yellow gold and the head is white gold to set off the colour of the gemstones. The head of the ring measures about 0.4 cms wide and 2 cms long. This is UK ring size Q, USA size 8.5

Just like wedding and engagement ring it is now very fashionable to buy vintage half etrnity rings, these are better value that new eternity rings .

A list of the types of ring, here are all the ones I can find and will update this post as more come along:

Wedding Ring  are the simplest form of ring that can be made. A flat wedding band basically consists of a strip of metal that is bent around into a loop and joined where the ends meet.

Solitaire rings are rings with a single large stone as a centrepiece, usually a diamond.

Eternity rings are rings with stones, usually diamonds, of the same cut and size, set in one row all around the ring. The stones are usually round or square, and the setting is usually either claws or a channel setting. When the stones do not continue around the entire ring, but stop halfway around the finger, it is called a half-eternity ring.

Trinity rings or Trilogy Rings are three rings to be worn at one time.

Cluster rings are rings with a group of stones in a cluster setting, forming the focal point of the ring. The cluster setting usually consists of one large stone (usually round or oval) in the center surrounded with several smaller stones.

Aqiq ring A carnelian or Agate ring worn by some Muslims, especially Shi’ah, in imitation of Muhammad and the twelve Imams.

Birthstone Ring set with the wearers birthstone

Championship ring A ring presented to members of winning teams in professional business leagues as well as college tournaments in North America.

Claddagh ring An Irish friendship ring. It is traditionally used to indicate the state of romantic availability.  This ring is symbolised by two hands clasping a heart.

Class ring Worn by students and alumni in commemoration of their graduation.

Cocktail ring: Large and showy ring with precious or semi precious stones which is mainly worn at parties and special occasions

Costume Jewellery ring: A ring made of none precious materials eg not made of gold, silver or platinum

Cross over ring The syle of ring popularised in the Art Deco era where the stone is set into a cross over setting.

Dress Ring or Dinner Ring An over sized ring, set with non-precious or semiprecious stones.

Eclarian ring A ring worn by gay men to represent their beliefs. This ring has a separate centre which rotates.

Engagement ring A traditional ring worn by a woman to indicate her engagement to be married.

Engineer’s Ring, Iron Ring A ring worn by engineers on the pinky finger of their working hand to remind them of their ethical obligations.

Eternity ring A ring symbolizing eternity with a partner.

Fashion Ring Made by well know designers or sold through big name chain stores

Finger armor ring Typically it spans from the base of the finger to just below the nail or middle of the second joint and includes a bending joint.

Friendship ring Friendship rings are used to symbolize a close relationship that has no romantic undertone.

Gimmal ring Ring made of 2 or 3 linking hoops, popular for betrothals in 16th and 17th century Europe

Iron ring Ring worn by Canadian engineers.

Magic ring A fictitious ornament that appears frequently in fantasy stories and fairy tales.

Mood ring A novelty ring which changes color in response to body temperature, using a thermochromic liquid crystal.

Mother’s ring A ring worn by a mother displaying the birthstone of each of her children, and sometimes including those of the mother and father.

Mourning ring A ring worn in memory of someone who has died.

Multi-Finger ring Two or more conjoined rings, designed to be worn across two, three, or four fingers; popularized by hip-hop culture.

Pinky ring A ring worn on the pinky finger.

Posie ring A ring with a short inscription on its outer surface.

Pre-engagement ring A small, inexpensive ring given to a partner, to promise not to court a rival.

Promise ring A ring worn to remind oneself of a promise one has made.

Purity ring A symbol of virginity in some religious cultures.

Puzzle ring Interlocking rings forming a single band; difficult to reassemble if removed from the finger.

Poison ring

or Pillbox ring A Ring consisting of a pillbox fitted into the ring, either for keeping medication or poison.

Regard ring A Victorian engagement ring with an implicit acrostic: Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire.

Ring of O A ring inspired by the Story of O, Pauline Reage’s novel, in which the heroine, “The O” is presented with such a ring as a symbol of her submission.

Rosary ring A rosary ring is a ring worn around the finger with 10 indentations and a cross on the surface, representing one decade of a rosary. The rings are used to keep track of place in the prayer by rotating the ring on a finger and feeling the marks.

Signet ring An emblematic, often familial, ring, often bearing a coat of arms, fit for use to imprint a wax seal on documents etc.

Sovereign ring A typically large, gold ring, set with a gold sovereign as its decorative feature.

Thumb ring This largest of finger rings is worn on the thumb primarily for fashion, but is also worn as a symbol of will power or internal energy, sexuality, and other beliefs or attitudes.

Toe Ring Made to be worn on a toe – usually quite a plain band.

Watch ring A small analogue or digital watch to be worn around a finger.

Wedding ring A ring presented in many marriage ceremonies to signify marital commitment. Originally worn only by the woman, it is now common for both spouses to wear such a ring

What Ring size do you need?

Want to have a little fun with Rings? The V& A museum ( Victoria and Albert) have a cute little programme where you can design your own ring and add it to a gallery if you like. The rings are quite simple but it does allow you to see some of the steps involved.
There is nothing to design quite as ornate as this marcasite and art glass set ring which you can find on antiquesavenue.co.uk                Vintage Ring