Snowfall on your lip balm and the reemergence of winter white. Bejeweled crosses and Christmas pins on fuzzy sweaters. Treasured tiaras on winter brides.

Rings are usually designed for display on the hand, encircling the finger. This hand is a dynamic extremity. The hand speaks articulately, like the mouth and the eyes. Continually displaying movements and gestures, the hand speaks its own language as it communicates with the world. These strengths make the hand attractive and challenging to decorate. Endless are the ways in which jewelry-maker, ring-wearer, and onlooker converse.

Love and marriage. Authority or station, accomplishment, familial ties, moods, or the beauty of a jeweler’s artistry alone can be the motive for adorning one’s hand with a ring. Rings may evoke memories, transmit messages, signify rites of passage, express political, social, or religious affiliations, advertise status, or express personal style.