Whether your masculine or feminine, trans, queer, or yet to be defined, women's and men's promise rings give us an ancient symbol of love that transcends gender normatives and connects us to each others hearts. They make the ideal promise ring for your dream fantasy wedding!
What is a Promise Ring:
Mens and Women’s Promise Rings are also called Claddagh rings and they are traditional Irish Promise rings. This hand carved sterling silver ring is far from conventional which makes it ideal for your dream fantasy wedding. The hands gently cup a huge silver heart, with a Rockabilly crown making it the perfect mens or womens claddagh ring. My Claddagh features two hands gently cupping a heart, creating an affectionate image of love and tradition.
The hands are there for friendship,
The heart is there for love.
For loyalty throughout the year,
The crown is raised above.
Claddagh ring History is a beautiful story of merging a Fede holding hands ring with a heart and crown! They originated in the town of Claddagh in Galway an Irish City in the 17th century by the renowned goldsmith Richard Joyce.
My modern take on this beautiful symbol started when I was in high school and I saw a masculine design in a local jewelry shop. I looked around some other stores and decided I liked that one the best, but when I went back it wasn’t there. When I asked about it they couldn’t even recall the piece I was talking about it! I felt like I was Tom Hanks in BIG when he goes back to the Fortune Teller who’s mysteriously disappeared! Lol
Later when I became a professional jeweler, and we traveled to Ireland and Scotland and I got to view many celtic mens and womens promise ring designs, I was inspired to create a more heartfelt design with a masculine edge when a client requested a unique ‘rockabilly’ design.
I lovingly drew this design over 15 years ago and love how my early penmanship shows up against the creases of this worn paper! Reminds me of brilliant artists who draw masterpieces on hotel napkins! 😍
Ove the years I’ve created dozens of versions requested by clients, both masculine and feminine designs, all highlighting the beautiful imagery of holding our loved ones (or our own) hearts in our hands.
Mens Promise Rings
As we venture into the 21st century, we now know that a man doesn’t HAVE to be masculine, and a woman doesn’t have to be feminine, a woman doesn’t even have to be just a woman! We know that we are not JUST our physical body, or our soul’s energy, and that there are more than 2 genders and we are not defined by our gender. We are a beautiful mixture of masculine and feminine energies, and male and female body parts, all combining to create infinite gender identities! Simultaneously we recognize there is still a difference between masculine and feminine and I LOVE visualizing these elements and empowering my clients to wear whatever they feel good in!
I often get emails from men asking ‘do men wear these?’ and ‘can a man wear this style?’ I lovingly tell them YES! You can wear whatever you want! And also, if you DO want a more masculine style these are my choices. :)
Check out my specular client who had a full suit of armor custom made for his wedding! 😍 Talk about a dream fantasy wedding!
Womens Promise Rings
For a more feminine touch, I love these designs because they combine the beauty of a blossoming flower (akin to the female ‘butterfly’ parts, opening in response to arousal 😊) Well that felt awkward! Here read this from Earth within flowers.com who words it beautifully! Lol ‘Flowers and women mirror feminine biology and the growth and change of reproduction. After pollination, a seedpod swells from within the beautiful petals of a flower (the womb) creating a seed through which that flower will be born anew. Flowers represent life, much like women do.’
A little more elegant, a little more bling, my women's promise rings combine grace, elegance and sophistication with this timeless symbol of love and commitment. (Not that women HAVE to be elegant and graceful, it’s just what society taught me is more feminine, I don’t make the rules!) 😆
How to wear YOUR Claddagh Ring
How to wear your claddagh ring depends on your relationship status (with others AND with yourself. 😘) One of my favorite aspects of claddagh rings worn as promise rings is you can wear it to show others your relationship status (so you can change that status or maintain it!):
- On the right hand, the heart pointed away, means you are free as the wind.
- On the right hand, the heart pointed toward you, then you are spoken for.
- On the left hand, the heart pointed towards you means you are happily married forevermore
I love this because it combines my favorite things! Visually representing love with symbols and giving us a physical choice and action we can take to communicate and make meaningful connections with others! I also adore how to show others your open to love you wear the heart facing out, so it’s literally turning your heart to others!
Speaking of which the core of this design is the hands gently cupping the heart. And this ring can also be a gift to yourself. I recently went on a healing journey and it started when I read the book (suggested by my therapist) ‘The Art of Extreme Self Care’ by Cheryl Richardson (highly recommend for current and recovering people pleasers!), and it talked about mirror therapy where you look in the mirror and tell yourself you love yourself. Well I tried it, and I started bawling! Know why? I didn’t believe myself. 😭
How sad is that!? So I set out on a (now over a year long) adventure to start loving myself and in turn have more love to spill over onto others.
And I’m not alone! MANY MANY of us do not love ourselves, and I think part of it is we were not taught how! We were motivated by shame, and fear, trying to fit in a earn love rather than just be loved for how we are. Because how we are is messy, and unrefined and beautiful, but ultimately scary to those who were taught to fear not fitting in, which is most of us.
So I truly enjoy when clients choose a claddagh just for themselves! Which is many and growing in numbers. I ADORE the idea of choosing and wearing a claddagh to represent holding OUR OWN hearts in a gentle embrace. Learning to be kind to ourselves no matter what mistakes, hardships, losses, and big emotions we are feeling and journey’s in life we are going through.
If you're on a healing journey you will enjoy my Connect to Your Devine Feminine Energy Meditation:
So maybe we need a new promise ring position. Let’s wear it however we want, symbolizing a beautiful, gentle love for our OWN hearts and all that encompasses. Because you are worthy, beautiful and loved just the way you are right this moment.
Photo credit: Celebrity Callie Thorne commissioned me to design a custom Claddagh for herself after purchasing my classic Claddagh. I gotta say I'm feeling her self love vide. Let's make a promise to love ourselves more! You da best Callie! 😍
✨ Tell me in the comments, how do you wear your Claddagh!? Do you follow the rules or are you a rebel!? 👇🏼
✨ Work with me! Reach out to see if we're a good fit! Get on the wait list to design your own custom Claddagh! I'm a custom design specialist and adore creating custom Claddagh and other fantasy jewelry.
Contact@RicksonJewelry.com
