Rings

[adoro.te.devote]

This might be a weird question,  but of the communities of nuns/Sisters that wear rings, and Consecrated Virgins or female Hermits who wear rings, is it customary for them to be gold, or silver? Which would be more common? Again random question but there is a specific reason I'm asking haha thank you! 

Edited September 13, 2020 by adoro.te.devote

[Bonkira]

It depends on the community and the guidance a CV or hermit receives. I've seen both gold and silver equally. 

[gloriana35]

Some communities have a unique ring, designed specifically for them. The sisters who taught me in youth had a silver ring, with a central oval shape and inscribed cross unique to them.

Some who don't have a unique style have a custom of wearing silver or gold, and others allow Sisters to make their own choice. One of my friends wears her deceased father's wedding ring. My own profession ring is gold, with a cross cut into its centre.

There is no single approach.

[nikita92]

I also have a question...what jewelry company do religious use, when it comes to getting a ring to present for a final profession? (For those communities that do so)

[adoro.te.devote]

Thanks!

Does anyone know of a community that has the Sacred Heart on their ring? (I'm not trying to choose a community based on the ring despite it sounding like that haha I'm just researching & trying to understand something :))

Edited September 14, 2020 by adoro.te.devote

[Bonkira]

4 hours ago, nikita92 said:

I also have a question...what jewelry company do religious use, when it comes to getting a ring to present for a final profession? (For those communities that do so)

I doubt there is a central jewelry company for any of the hundreds of communities that give rings. Some use local jewelers if the ring is a custom style, some large communities with many locations have agreements with larger production companies, and I know of communities that simply order a plain band from a retailer like Amazon.

[nikita92]

I was thinking on line; more than a physical store.

Thank you for your response!

[sr.christinaosf]

I just heard that ours is probably gold.

We re-use ours - when a Sister dies, it can be saved and given to a new sister eventually making vows.

I have the ring that belonged to a sister that I have a special connection with, who I knew as a postulant and novice.

[Nunsuch]

21 minutes ago, sr.christinaosf said:

I just heard that ours is probably gold.

We re-use ours - when a Sister dies, it can be saved and given to a new sister eventually making vows.

I have the ring that belonged to a sister that I have a special connection with, who I knew as a postulant and novice.

One of my dear friends, a Dominican, wears the ring of a sister who died shortly before she made her perpetual vows. Interestingly (to me), this deceased sister (she lived to be 102!) was also someone I also knew quite well, and loved dearly. I didn't learn about the ring for some time afterward, but I think we were destined to be friends.

[Pax17]

There is an order (I don't remember which one) whose sisters wear rings made of wood.

[FSM Sister]

May I ask what this specific reason is?

[Lea]

11 hours ago, Pax17 said:

There is an order (I don't remember which one) whose sisters wear rings made of wood.

I know several communities giving wooden rings to their sisters until final vows - somewhat like engagement rings - and golden or silver ones when they profess final vows. 

[nikita92]

Outside of the wooden rings, is there some sort of financial "fund" set aside for these Gold/Silver final profession rings to be purchased?

(Provided they are not recycled..but then there is a sizing cost incurred I would imagine)

[gloriana35]

Remember that it has been years - but, unless someone was wearing the ring of a deceased Sister, most of us received our rings as a present from our families. We did not have a unique style - it wasn't unusual for someone to wear a ring of a deceased relative, but many others were new. There used to be many jewellers (this long before the Internet - but some were local, others had catalogues) who offered religious jewellery of many kinds. It is possible, though I do not know, that there still are religious shops online.

[AveMariaPurissima]

Obviously prices have gone up since then, but in A Right to be Merry, Mother Mary Francis says that "A Poor Clare abbess...wears the same little wedding ring ($2.50 net) as her daughters."

The book was originally published in 1956, and according to a chart I found, $2.50 in 1956 would be worth about $24 in 2020.

[gloriana35]

Odd though this may seem, I never heard of wooden rings until I read it here today.

There are far fewer Religious today than there were when I was a young woman. I'm quite sure there were companies which specialised in items (not only rings - specific cardigans, shoes, etc) intended for Sisters.

[Lilllabettt]

4 hours ago, gloriana35 said:

Odd though this may seem, I never heard of wooden rings until I read it here today.

There are far fewer Religious today than there were when I was a young woman. I'm quite sure there were companies which specialised in items (not only rings - specific cardigans, shoes, etc) intended for Sisters.

These places do still exist, in Rome! I remember there being a specific street with shops.

On 9/13/2020 at 4:33 PM, adoro.te.devote said:

This might be a weird question,  but of the communities of nuns/Sisters that wear rings, and Consecrated Virgins or female Hermits who wear rings, is it customary for them to be gold, or silver? Which would be more common? Again random question but there is a specific reason I'm asking haha thank you! 

Gold is more common, but Franciscans and those communities influenced by that spirituality are more likely to use silver.

[adoro.te.devote]

On 9/15/2020 at 7:43 PM, FSM Sister said:

May I ask what this specific reason is?

I was wondering if silver is more accepted because of evangelical poverty, or if gold is used too (I have no disagreement with either, I was just trying to understand). My question about rings with the Sacred Heart was more out of curiosity because I am considering a ring like that for my private vow, and I wondered if this has been done by any community.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

[nikita92]

Sisters of Carmel sell a sterling silver Sacred Heart of Jesus ring for 80$

[gloriana35]

I've seen advertisements for rings that have emblems of the Sacred Heart. (These must be relatively popular - the ads pop up on Facebook.) They are available online.  

I know various communities were dedicated to the Sacred Heart, but have no idea if they have such emblems on their profession rings.

Edited September 24, 2020 by gloriana35
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