What Rings Mean on Each Finger - Symbolism For Men

Video Description

What is the symbolism for wearing rings on different fingers? You might be surprised. 00:00 Introduction 00:25 I was watching The Godfather the other day and I noticed something unique. No it wasn't the fact that Vito Corleone was shot with a gun that didn't exist for another 8 years. It was how he wore his ring, on his pinky finger. That's right. I'm thinking about rings all the time. So of course I do a google deep dive to find out why. And it turns out there is a lot of symbolism when wearing rings on different fingers. 01:01 We covered the last three thousand-ish years or so of wedding rings in a previous video. So be sure to check that out if you what do take a deep dive of your own. In a nutshell, rings were out of fashion for men till the mid 20th century and now they are popular again. Women have been looking fabulous over the centuries showing off their bands. And it's pretty clear what message a ring tells everyone when it's on her ring finger. But it's not super clear what it means when a guy is sporting his band on his pinky or any other digit. Plus the message changes from culture to culture. 01:49 Fun Fact: The word "pinky" comes from the Dutch word pink, which means little finger. And wearing a pinky ring has a long history of symbolism.Back in Victorian times, powerful men would wear their wedding rings on their left pinky finger. In the 19th century married men would wear two rings on their pinky: their wedding band and a signet ring which topicals featured their coat of arms. The ring symbolized family and status. But this trend fell out of fashion in the early 20th century. Pinky rings on either hand are associated with organized crime and made popular shows like The Godfather, and The Sopranos. 02:24 Moving to the left ring finger we get into more modern symbolism. There are typically four meanings for a ring on this finger. The most common is your marital status. In Western countries, a married person wears a ring on this finger. Again, the reasons for this are covered in our "History of Rings" video we did early so check that out. Another common reason is that you are engaged to be married. This tradition goes all the way back to the ancient Romans. At the time of the wedding the bride would choose to continue wearing her engagement ring on the left ring finger with her wedding ring or switch it to another finger. Although wedding bells typically are the intent for wearing a ring on your left ring finger, some couples close to wear them as a promise ring or even a chastity ring signifying abstinence from playing any Marvin Gaye music until marriage. 03:15 Although flipping the bird has plenty of meaning across all cultures, when it comes to ring symbolism... not so much.It's pretty rare to see a man wearing a ring on the middle finger. Men in the Western World started wearing rings on this finger as a bold fashion statement. Being in the center of the hand, the middle finger ring can symbolize balance and order. Also as the largest and boldest finger, some say it can represent masculinity. Personally I think it's the prefect finger to start your own trend with. 03:43 If you are deciding on which finger tends to have the highest impact I'd recommend your index or pointer finger. Hundreds of years ago, men would wear family crest or signet rings on one of their index fingers to symbolize wealth and their social status. People below a certain rank were actually banned from wearing rings on this finger in some European cities. Now this finger is usually meant for showing off a class or fraternal ring on either hand. A ring on your index finger needs to pack a punch. We can make custom rings right here at Manly Bands to make sure this high impact ring also has a highly personal connection to you, your passions and history. 04:29 The symbolism on your largest digit is falls into two areas. The first is power and influence. The rings reflect this by being broad or bulky. The other symbolism is integration and friendship like when giving the thumbs up sign. Make sure you choose a wider ring here that does not limit your hands mobility. The best styles of rings should complement your fashion sense and your confidence. 04:54 Moving to the right hand we have a few cultural differences. For example the right index finger is the proper place for the wedding ring in a traditional Jewish ceremony. This is typically a plain gold band. The right ring finger serves the same purpose as the left in other countries such as Germany, Russia, India and many others. In some professions like engineering and ecology, a pinky ring is a symbol of graduating with a degree in that field. A professional ring is typically a simple band made of iron, silver, or stainless steal. Check us out on IG: https://www.instagram.com/manlybands/ Come say hi on FB: https://www.facebook.com/getmanlybands/ Read our 5* reviews: https://manlybands.com/pages/testimonials