Old Irish jewelry is an unknown and fabulous storehouse of ancient legends and treasures. The topic is new and very interesting for me. Especially when it comes to love that has gone through trials.
So, the so-called Claddagh Ring, first created in the late 17th - early 18th centuries by a poor fisherman, has become a real symbol of Ireland. The hero of Irish legends, by the will of fate, became a jeweler and created a ring of amazing beauty for his beloved.
Surely, you have seen impressive signet rings and thin, graceful wedding rings in the form of two hands, which carefully hold a flaming heart topped with a royal crown. Once upon a time, a young fisherman from a poor family named Richard Joyce lived in the small village of Claddah in County Galway.
He did not have money for a wedding with his girlfriend, so the guy decided to try his luck and go to work as an employee of the West India Company. But the ship was captured by Algerian pirates and sold the Europeans into slavery. Joyce was among the disenfranchised prisoners.
The owner of the young Irishman was the Moor, who was famous as a skilled goldsmith. He needed helpers and taught the foreigner the wisdom of jewelry. The disciple turned out to be a talent, and the Moor was so pleased with the success of the business that he even wanted to marry his own daughter for him. And give the Irishman a separate workshop. However, Richard immensely yearned for his native land and his red-haired bride.
Indulging in memories, he created a unique ring for his beloved, in which the hands symbolized strong friendship, the heart of a precious crystal - eternal love, and the crown, according to one version, crowned the stone beauty much later.
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And it became a sign of England's dominion over freedom-loving Ireland. In the modern version of the ring, the crown signifies devotion and true loyalty.
Perhaps Richard would have stayed in foreign lands forever, but he was rescued by the agreement of William III of Orange with the Moors, according to which the slaves received the long-awaited freedom. Not believing his happiness, Joyce headed back.
The girl remained faithful to him, and the affair ended in a merry wedding. Only the Irishman did not abandon a new craft and successfully opened a jewelry workshop. Then unique rings with flaming hearts saw the light, became popular, and soon, they dispersed around the world.
Ancient Claddagh jewelry is engraved with the initials of that very enamored jeweler - the first letters of his name and surname. Imagine that symbolic rings are still being created in Ireland to this day.
A jewel can say about its owner louder than any words, you just have to put it on correctly. And you can wear a Claddach ring in different ways.
On the right hand, when the tops of the crown are turned away from the palm to the fingertips, the wearer is in search of a second half. If the heart with the crown is turned towards the owner, he is already not free, has a beloved or beloved. The wedding ring is worn only on the left hand - with the crown facing the wearer.
According to legend, a Spanish ship once wrecked off the coast of Ireland. Among its debris, the true Claddah ring, which was allegedly endowed with magical properties, was lost. Other legends claim that the first ring with a heart was lost, and whoever finds it can easily win the respect and heartfelt affection of any person.
