My Ring

Love, Friendship and Loyalty. That is what a Claddagh ring stands for. I remember as a kid my mom taking me to the jewelry store to get my first claddagh ring. It was silver and really thin. I remember it being really thin because I used to chew on it when I was bored. I am a fidgeter and I somehow in my child head, I thought that it would be good to chew on my ring. And it was so thin, I ruined it. My mom proceeded to give me her gold ring (which was a little thicker) that I think her dad or my dad gave to her. I still have that one. She upgraded her ring so I got the lovely one that I still remember her wearing. My mother also gave me a thin silver one with an opal in the heart a few years back because I usually only wear silver. I lost that one. Again, anyone who knows me is not surprised by that fact. The legend goes that you are only supposed to receive the Claddagh as a gift. You shouldn't buy one for yourself. For a few years now, I have really wanted to replace my silver one but couldn't buy myself one. Well, recently I received a silver claddagh ring as a gift....exactly what I wanted. It is shiny and sparkly. I love it. It adorns my right hand with the crown facing out and the heart facing in. As tradition says, it means my heart is taken. If the heart faced out, it means you are open for love. If you wear it on the left hand it means you are married. So now I have my favorite piece of jewelry from my favorite person, the person that holds my heart. And that is the meaning of the Claddagh.