Why wear a mood ring? Why not. Mood rings can be a mystery, a mood indicator, vintage fashion, or just colourful and a conversation starter. Mood rings were created in the 1970s, they use chemicals and temperature changes to indicate the mood of the ring wearer.

You may not know what a mood ring is. The rings were around in the 1970s and 1980s as rings which changed colours according to your mood. I had one. It did change colours but according to my mood ring I was never in a good mood. Of course, it might not help that my ring tended to suffer frequent water damage and I have always enjoyed cool/ cold weather. I think long walks on a cold and rainy day would have a negative effect on a mood ring - though it left me feeling pretty great.

My sisters had mood rings too. We would check our rings (they had to be worn in order to show results) at different times over the day and compare the colours. The rings came with instructions which explained what the colours meant.

It was fun and interesting (a great way to pass the time on long car rides) but not very efficient as a mood tracker. I wouldn't trust a mood ring as a way to evaluate anyone's mood. But, they were fun, colourful (most often shades of blue and violet for my sisters and I).

What are Mood Rings?

Two New York inventors, Josh Reynolds and Maris Ambats created mood rings in 1975. Mood rings were a fad of the 1970s but had a little comeback in the 1980s.

The mood ring stone is a hollow quartz or glass shell containing thermotropic liquid crystals. A strip of crystals with a protective coating. Temperature changes cause the crystals to absorb or reflect light and they change colour.

If you feel happiness or passion your body temperature increases and the crystals reflect blue. Stress or excitement will cause blood to flow less on the body surface and the skin temperature cools down a little so the crystals reflect less light and become more yellow. If the ring is damaged (water tended to finish off many a mood ring) or in cold temperatures, the stone would be unresponsive, showing a dark grey or black stone.

Mood Ring Colours and Their Meanings

• violet - romantic or happy
• blue - relaxed or calm
• green - peaceful
• yellow- imaginative
• amber - excited or tense
• brown - restless
• gray - anxious or nervous
• red - excited and energized
• pink - uncertain or fearful
• lilac - sensual or clarity
• black - very stressed

Long ago I was a bride, looking for just the right ring for the man I was going to marry. I knew I wanted both of us to have a ring. I knew he was ok with the idea, though perhaps not as enthusiastic as I would have liked. I also knew, from growing up with a brother, the ring I picked for him would have to be plainer, less romantic and sturdier than the ring he was picking out for me.

So I had a general idea in mind as I went ring shopping. I went by myself. I could have taken spectators but I liked being out there and doing this romantic and happy thing with just my own thoughts and opinions. (I did get a ride to the store with my Mom and she was the first person to see the ring I picked out).

I Especially Like this Claddagh Ring for a Bridegroom

It was not this Claddagh ring which I noticed on Amazon today. I would have picked this one if I had seen it. I think it’s about as perfect as I would have liked at the time. I like the tradition and history being the Irish/ Celtic symbol of the Claddagh. I think my husband would have liked it too. Plus, it fits with the plan of sturdy, plain and simple. A fairly thick band without much sticking up in odd places and nothing that will possibly fall off and be lost.

I was happy with the ring I did pick for him. It was a plain gold band with small (tiny you might call them) diamonds in a row on the front of the band. It was also sturdy, simple and plain. He still has it.

Other choices for men's wedding rings or wedding bands.

There are far more options than a plain gold band.

Consider different metals versus the standard gold. Wedding bands can be far more durable than gold these days. A man who works with his hands would be better with a ring made from harder metals which are also less pricey than gold, silver or platinum (as a side benefit).

Consider how flashy he is versus comfortable and everyday casual. Will he like a ring with extras like engraving, diamonds or designs. If he tends to be plain, traditional or if his career expects him to look a certain way (reliable or trendy and fashionable) that is something to work around.

Don't forget this is something he will wear for a long time, every day. Get the ring sized right. Or, make sure it can be returned to be resized. (This is a good thing down the road as we don't always keep the same ring size we had when we were 20, or 30).

If you know the ring is "the one" get it inscribed inside the band. It may be a bit corny and old fashioned, but some traditions are worth keeping. Even if he isn't the type to appreciate a romantic gesture, most men will still like that you thought of it.

I like old fashioned things for young women. I'm also a history buff, a bit traditional with a cultural slant. So, charm bracelets are one of the things I have always liked. I have one.

My Mother bought me the bracelet and gave me the first few charms which I added to the chain. Later, my Dad brought me back a few more charms from his business travels. I have one which came as an oval picture frame and we had a photo of my sisters and myself inside the charm. But, that photo faded to almost nothing and now I can only see an outline of my sisters and I really. But, I know it's there.

That's another aspect to the charm bracelet. Each charm is a preserved memory. Something representing a moment in your life. An event, like a wedding or your first big trip overseas. A person, like the charm your Grandmother gave you one Christmas with the thistles of Scotland, her home country. Or, something just special to yourself, like a flying saucer charm because you really love science fiction and hope all your dreams of aliens from space aren't just wishful thinking.

Some Charming History

Charm bracelets may have started as an amulet to ward off bad luck or evil spirits.

In prehistoric times charms were made from clay, shells, and animal-bones. Gems, rocks and wood would have been used later, as tools evolved. As people and charms evolved they were also protection from spirits and in battle. Charms were also used to identify affiliation with religious and other types of groups.

The first charm bracelets (versus charms kept individually or worn in other ways) appeared 600 – 400 BC.with the Babylonians and some time later the Assyrians, Persians, and Hittites.

Queen Victoria brought new popularity to charm bracelets when she designed her own charm bracelet to mourn the death of her husband, Albert.

The Industrial Revolution brought changes all over but it meant items like jewelry became easier and cheaper to produce, thus they became available for the common people, not just those who were able to afford the more exclusive and valuable jewels.

In 1889, at the Paris Exposition, Tiffany & Co launched a chain link bracelet with a single dangling heart pendent. The charm bracelet became fashionable.

Soldiers from World War II brought charms/ trinkets home as souvenirs from local craftspeople in the areas they had visited during the fighting.

In the 1950's and 1960's charm bracelets were created to reflect life events. Movie stars, like Elizabeth Taylor, wore charm bracelets which brought more interest for teenagers to have charm bracelets of their own.

It’s funny how things become vintage. I remember when my Aunt Alice (my Grandmother’s sister) came to visit me in the hospital and gave me my first pair of dangly earrings. They were not expensive made but they were gold and elegant looking and most of all, when I wore them I could feel them swaying just under my earlobes. It meant a lot to me.

Now here we are, about 30 years later, I still have those earrings tucked away in my jewelry box with all the other stuff I don’t wear. (I never became the girly type to wear make up or jewelry). Now those earrings could be called vintage. It makes me feel older than I really am. My Aunt Alice isn’t here any longer. I miss her but I do think about that day now and then, and many others.

Do you have a special pair of earrings or something other jewelry? Is there something in your jewel box that makes you remember someone else, especially a family member? Even though my earrings aren’t especially valuable I would like to have someone in the family to give them to. It’s a shame that none of the younger generation in the family now will have any memory of my Aunt Alice. So the earrings will never be special to them in the same way they are special to me. That’s kind of sad.