Any Jewelry Collection Should Be Proud to Have a Claddagh Ring
Collecting jewelry can be a productive way to spend your free time and money. At the same time, if you have good taste, your collection can appreciate in value beyond your imagination as the years go by. Much depends on how well you picked the items you chose to include in the collection and on how affordably you purchased them. Among the antique jewelry items that are good buys are Claddagh rings which were crafted hundreds of years ago.
Where was the original Claddagh ring crafted
Nothing certain is known about the origins of the ring. Some believe the first ring to have been made by Richard Joyce, an Irishman who had been held captive and subsequently sold as a slave to a rich jeweler in Algeria. His master, seeing his ability, taught him the finest skills of jewelry making. Joyce later returned to Galway City in Ireland after having been released by his master. There he practiced the trade he had learned and made the first Claddagh rings. The ones that still exist today bear his initials. More incredible accounts tell of the Claddagh ring having been dropped from its beak by an eagle. The ring fell into the lap of a wealthy and charitable lady in return for all her good works. As to why this ring which was supposed to have originated from Galway came to be known as the Claddagh ring, the explanation offered is startlingly simple. A British publication in 1850 featured a picture of the ring alongside a write-up on the fishing community of Claddagh. The label on the write-up was mistaken for the name of the ring.
Whatever the truth may be, the fact remains that the oldest and most expensive antique Claddagh rings are engraved with the RJ.
Claddagh rings are a rich resource for antique jewelry collectors
Between and 17th century and today, hundreds of Claddagh rings have been crafted due to the immense popularity of its symbolism for people seeking enduring love. It was widely used as wedding rings and handed down from one generation to the next. Many families still have their heirloom pieces from two generations back. Not a few of them have been lost but many still manage to pop up in flea markets and alley shops. Collectors who spot Claddagh rings with the initials RJ engraved are lucky to be looking at one of the original rings.
What is the appearance of a Claddagh ring
The central symbols of the Claddagh ring are the heart, the crown and the pair of hands. Taken separately, they symbolize love, loyalty (offering the crown to the sovereign) and friendship (the act of giving gifts). Taken collectively, they symbolize everlasting friendship or love. This symbolism, although uniquely Irish, is true wherever people value and look for enduring bonds.
Among the collectible jewelry that you can come across the Claddagh ring is the one that abounds in both mystery and symbolism.
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With a keen interest in Celtic jewelry, Ciara O’Brien researches and writes about Claddagh ring and all other types of Celtic jewelry. Click here for more information about Celtic engagement rings and here for Irish weddin bands .