Rings for the finger: From the Earliest Known Times to the Present, with Full Descriptions of the Origin, Early Making, Materials, the Archæology, History, for Affection, for Love, for Engagement, for Wedding, Commemorative, Mourning, Etc.

About this book

George Frederick Kunz’s Rings for the Finger is a scholarly survey that treats the humble band as a cultural artifact spanning mythic origins to early‑twentieth‑century craftsmanship. The book opens with a vivid description of a queen’s gold, turquoise and coral crown from Sikkim, accompanied by a richly illustrated frontispiece, and immediately signals its ambition: to catalogue “everything that is of importance and interest in regard to finger‑rings, from the fabled ring of Prometheus down to the latest productions of the goldsmiths and jewellers of our day.” Kunz organizes the material thematically, signet rings, religious and marital bands, talismans, healing rings, and modern manufacturing, supplemented by footnotes that cite a wide network of museum curators, scholars, and collectors, all reflected in the extensive color plates and line drawings that accompany the text.

The work bears the hallmarks of an early‑1910s academic monograph: a formal, erudite voice, meticulous citation, and a reverent tone toward both antiquity and contemporary practice. Its dense, descriptive prose and abundant illustration will appeal to historians of art and ornament, collectors of antique jewellery, and readers fascinated by the symbolic and technical evolution of personal adornment. Those who enjoy detailed reference works rather than narrative storytelling will find Kunz’s exhaustive treatment both informative and visually rewarding.

Opening lines

She wears two gold rings, one set with a turquoise, the other with coral. The peculiar crown of gold, turquoise and coral is that adopted for the queens of Sikkim. From the necklace of amber beads hangs a gau, or charm box, set with rubies, lapis-lazuli, and turquoise. …

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