This is the first book devoted exclusively to rings to consider them thematically rather than chronologically. The author brings her rich historical and literary knowledge to bear as she considers signets; rings associated with love, marriage and friendship; devotional, protective, and ecclesiastical rings; memento mori and memorial rings; rings associated with famous people and events; decorative rings; diamond rings; and rings as accessories. She helps us delight in them as works of art, and she 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 twentieth century. The rings are drawn not only from great museums but also from private collections, preeminently that of the noted gem dealer and art patron Benjamin Zucker.