How the Claddagh ring expresses your relationship status
Let your ring do the talking for you
The Claddagh Ring is a very old, traditional Irish design that has been around since at least the 1700s.
My Claddagh Ring design has the Fleur de Lis engraved in the center of the heart due to my New Orleans roots and also as a gesture of romance in the Crescent City - a perfect ring for those who fell in love in New Orleans or have some connection to what I believe is one of the most romantic cities in the world.
If you are single & open for love...
Wear the Claddagh Ring on your right hand, on any finger, with the crown pointing towards you and the heart exposed outward.
If you are in a relationship...
Wear the Claddagh Ring on your right hand, on any finger, with the heart towards you and the crown exposed outward.
If you are married...
Wear the Claddagh Ring on your left hand, on your ring finger, with the crown pointing towards you and the heart exposed outward.
Origins of the Claddagh Ring
There are many legends about the origins of the ring, particularly concerning Richard Joyce, a silversmith from Galway circa 1700, who is said to have invented the Claddagh design as we know it.[15][3]
Legend has it that Joyce was captured and enslaved by Algerian Corsairs around 1675 while on a passage to the West Indies; he was sold into slavery to a Moorish goldsmith who taught him the craft.[10] King William III sent an ambassador to Algeria to demand the release of any and all British subjects who were enslaved in that country, which at the time would have included Richard Joyce.
After fourteen years, Joyce was released and returned to Galway and brought along with him the ring he had fashioned while in captivity: what we've come to know as the Claddagh. He gave the ring to his sweetheart, married, and became a goldsmith with "considerable success".[16] His initials are in one of the earliest surviving Claddagh rings,[5][17] but there are three other rings also made around that time, bearing the mark of goldsmith Thomas Meade.[5]
The Claddagh ring (Irish: fáinne Chladaigh) is a traditional Irish ring which represents love, loyalty, and friendship (the hands represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty).[1][2]
The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of the same name in Galway. The ring, as currently known, was first produced in the 17th century.[3]
