August 26, 2011

  • Claddagh Love!

    Hi m'dears

    It's like 5am and I cannot sleep. Of course starting a movie just after 2am probably didn't help that any The  "Sex and the City" movie  is pretty good btw, I liked it and "Eat Pray Love" more than I expected to. Because I'm not tired, I decided to take pictures of my gorgeous new claddagh ring that was given to me for graduation by a friend of mine. 

    Now most people have said it is weird that a guy bought me a ring even though we're just friends... including another friend who also bought me a ring a few years ago!

     

    Though that was a gift from a gal pal, to me it isn't all that different. You have to keep in mind the superstitions that go with the claddagh ring which indicate that it isn't proper for a person to buy their own ring. The ring is meant to be passed from mother to daughter (but the first one has to come from somewhere! *L0L*) or as a gift from a lover or friend, so it works. 

    There are a lot of different stories behind the origins of the claddagh ring, but one tradition remains the same no matter who the wearer. The way you wear a claddagh ring indicates your relationship status: A single girl like moi would wear the ring on her right hand with the tip of the heart facing out to indicate they are looking for love, whereas a person in a relationship would wear the heart facing in to show their heart is taken. Wearing the ring on your left hand, heart inwards, shows that you're engaged or married.  kiss

    No matter how hard I tried to take a picture of the ring on my right hand and with the heart facing out (aka. singleton) I couldn't manage, because I'm not left-handed and my camera isn't made for someone left-handed. The pictures were always badly angled, badly lit, and out of focus because I had very little control censored Thus the result is a picture of my ring as a engaged/married person would wear it as it was the best shot of the lot. 

      

    It is two toned, with the hands in a strawberry-coloured metal and the band in silver. The heart is a light pink gem -lighter than the photo indicates- and a "diamond" in the crown. Both stones are held in a prong or claw setting. Isn't it pretty?!

    The funny thing about this ring is that it is sooo close to my "dream" wedding ring. I want a claddagh ring with a pink stone, but instead of a diamond in the crown, I want a diamond to be on either side of the heart in the space that the hands make. Because the crown wouldn't have a gem in it, it would likely be flatter/wider than this ring has. Instead of being a raised setting, I want the stones embedded into it so it doesn't get caught on things. I am undecided if I want a celtic knot design on outside of the band, but inside the ring it would be lovely to have engraved a celtic phrase like "my soul mate" or something sweet like that blush

    I have dreamed about what ring I've wanted for years even though I have never even been engaged. I've known about claddagh rings since I was 15 years-old, the age that some say Irish girls should receive their claddagh to indicate their being ready/allowed to date. I received a claddagh ring for my 16th birthday from my parents -though that by no means meant they were allowing me to date!

     

    This was long before "Buffy", "Ladder 49", "Leap Year", and other cultural references ever made wearing a claddagh ring a modern trend.It annoys the heck out of me when people say that they want one because they saw it on this movie or that TV show or on that famous person's hand. There is tradition, superstition, and heritage behind the ring that they are totally ignoring! The claddagh actually means something and they wouldn't even know it because they can't be bothered to find out. Is it irrational of me to want to preserve the history of the ring?

    One of my favourite sayings for this ring is "The hands are there for friendship, the heart is made for love, for loyalty throughout the year the crown is raised above". Another is "With these hands I give you my heart and I crown it with my love". The claddagh is a symbol of friendship, of loyalty, and of love but also of tradition and history. 

     

    So what do you think? Is it odd that I was given a ring from a male friend? Did you know anything about claddaghs before now and if so what? Do you think it is okay for people to wear claddagh rings because of a trend without knowing the meaning behind it? Do you or would you wear a claddagh? 

    SUMR

     

Comments (6)

  • I'm Irish and have always wanted a claddagh but never got one from anyone else or bought one myself.  If I ever get married I want my wedding ring to be a claddagh.

    The claddagh your friend bought you is gorgeous!  I don't think it's weird that your male friend gave it to you.  In this instance it represents friendship and friends can come in both genders.

    It bothers me so much that people think of it as "Buffy's ring" or whatever, and don't know what it's actually called or the meaning behind it. 

  • It can be a tough dilemma when I see a gift that is perfect for a female friend but worry about sending wrong signal. Good post.

  • LOL all the rings.
    I don't think its weird that he bought it for you. He's a friend. Nothing wrong with that.

    I knew about the ring from girls in High school...Also Buffy! LOL At the time the ring became VERY popular because of Buffy.... I don't think everyone knew the real meaning to it. I remember they briefly talk about it on the show, but until you told me a while back. I didn't know. LOL

    I think its a great ring!

  • @smellyjan - JAN JAN!!!!!

    Dude. it IS a BUFFY ring...

    lol

    JK!

  • I never knew any Irish people or had any exposure to Irish culture until Buffy, so that is where I heard of the ring. They actually did explain the meaning of it and the various ways to wear it in that episode, so, for me at least, there was no ignorance of the significance, although I actually did some research to learn more about it because it sounded incredibly interesting. I do find it annoying though that people do things JUST because they're popular and don't follow the proper meanings/reasons behind doing things.

    I actually did wear one! Back when G and I had been dating for only about 3 or 4 months, we went to a festival downtown and there were some tables with jewellery for sale and I found a claddagh that was a perfect fit (it's hard for me to find rings that fit right because my fingers are kind of fat) and G bought it for me without my asking him to. And of course I wore it on my right hand with the heart pointing inward

    It is much like the one your parents gave you, but silver. And the band is braided. I don't wear it now because I have a wedding band and diamond engagement ring on my left hand, and I don't wear it on my right because my other rings are gold and I find it weird to wear rings of different coloured metals at the same time even if they are on separate hands. I'm weird that way lol. I should take a picture of it though and show you.

    I don't find it weird for a friend to give you jewellery as a gift, male or female. It's not different from any other gift you may wear. As long as both people involved are clear about intent of the gift, it's no problem.

  • You inspired me! I wrote a blog about my Claddagh and posted pictures! 

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