This is the first book devoted exclusively to rings to be arranged thematically rather than chronologically. Diana Scarisbrick, a world expert, illuminates hundreds of examples of rings with her rich historical and literary knowledge: signets; rings associated with love, marriage and friendship; devotional, protective and ecclesiastical rings; memento mori and memorial rings; rings associated with famous people; diamond rings; and rings as accessories. She makes us delight in them as works of art, and makes their context come alive through paintings, drawings and vivid quotations.

Rings of all periods are included from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome through the Middle Ages and Renaissance up to the 20th century. The rings are drawn not only from great museums but from private collections, pre-eminently that of the noted gem dealer and art patron Benjamin Zucker.