An acrostic ring is a ring on which the initials of the precious stones on the band spell out a word in an acrostic style. In some cases, paste gems were used instead of precious stones.[1][2]
History
editAcrostic rings were developed in France in the early 19th century by the jewelry company Mellerio dits Meller, and later became popular in England.[3][4] They were given and worn during the Georgian and Victorian eras.[5] Acrostic rings were given as romantic gifts, and their messages were sentimental.[6] Alternatively, they would be used to form a secret message.[3] Some acrostic rings were used as engagement rings.[7]
Acrostic rings have been created and given in later eras, including in the 20th and 21st centuries.[8][9][3]
Variants
edit
Acrostic rings were made with gemstones representing sentimental and romantic words, including the following:
- Dearest - diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz. Alternatively, turquoise was used instead of a topaz.[7]
- Regards - ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby, diamond, sapphire.[10][2] "Regard" was also spelled, with an omission of the sapphire.[3]
- Adore - amethyst, diamond, opal, ruby, emerald.
- Love - lapis lazuli, opal, vermarine, emerald.
French words such as souvenir from se souvenir (I remember) and amitié (friendship) were also represented in acrostic jewelry.[5]
Some acrostic rings represented lovers' names.[6]
Letters
editThe letters of the spelt word come from the initials of some gems' names. Accordingly, stones used for each letter include:
- A: amethyst
- D: diamond
- E: emerald
- G: garnet
- L: lapis lazuli
- O: opal
- R: ruby
- S: sapphire
- T: topaz or turquoise
- V: vermarine
References
edit- ^ Tolkien, Tracy; Wilkinson, Henrietta (1997). A Collector's Guide to Costume Jewelry Key Styles and how to recognize them. Firefly Books. p. 47. ISBN 1552091562.
- ^ a b Tolkien, Tracy; Wilkinson, Henrietta (1997). A Collector's Guide to Costume Jewelry Key Styles and how to recognize them. Firefly Books. p. 49. ISBN 1552091562.
- ^ a b c d Beckett, Kathleen (2022-01-24). "Jewelry That Really Spells It Out". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-11.
- ^ Voitiuk, A A (2019-03-25). "Non-traditional symbolism techniques in jewelry design". IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 229: 012003. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/229/1/012003. ISSN 1755-1315.
- ^ a b Gänsicke, Susanne; Markowitz, Yvonne J. (2019). Looking at jewelry: a guide to terms, styles, and techniques. Looking at. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum. ISBN 978-1-60606-610-2.
- ^ a b "JOTTINGS". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 1900-08-04. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ a b "Fashion's Mandates". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 27, 1899. p. 7. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "in Town and Out". Herald. 1933-08-28. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
- ^ "Questions Answered". The Los Angeles Times. August 24, 1923. p. 8. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ Boyd, L.M. (13 April 1994). "Regarding a "regards ring"". Ellensburg Daily Record.