children's rings

[joetucciarone]

Does anyone know the meaning of these rings? The wearers, all boys, were too young to wear them for fashion. The one on the top-left is on the hand of a newborn, the other three are on boys between 5 and 7 years of age. All four boys were born in the vicinity of Youngstown, Ohio between 1900 and 1906, but the parents were all Italian immigrants. In fact, all eight parents were from Agnone in the Molise. Was this commonly done throughout Italy or only in the Molise at the beginning of the 20th century? Possibly it originated among the Italian immigrants of Youngstown...?

rings.jpg

[MarcuccioV]

Does anyone know the meaning of these rings? The wearers, all boys, were too young to wear them for fashion. The one on the top-left is on the hand of a newborn, the other three are on boys between 5 and 7 years of age. All four boys were born in the vicinity of Youngstown, Ohio between 1900 and 1906, but the parents were all Italian immigrants. In fact, all eight parents were from Agnone in the Molise. Was this commonly done throughout Italy or only in the Molise at the beginning of the 20th century? Possibly it originated among the Italian immigrants of Youngstown...?rings.jpg

Could they possibly be baptism gifts from Godparents..? Maybe 'decade' (Rosary) rings..?

[joetucciarone]

I hadn't thought of that; it's plausible.

[darkerhorse]

My grandfather bought his grandchildren birthstone rings for our Confirmations.

[MarcuccioV]

I hadn't thought of that; it's plausible.

My thinking is that a ring would be a more masculine gift whereas a necklace/pendant would be more feminine. And darkerhorse has a point about birthstones, also...

I believe I received a ring from my grandfather for one of my Sacraments -- First Communion, I think. It's in a jewelry box somewhere...

[darkerhorse]

My grandfather made a point of taking each of us to the jewelry store when our time came.

It might have been to pick out a ring and to try it on. But I know it was our birthstones.

I thought it was for Confirmation but I suppose it might have been for a special birthday, like turning 10 or 13. I recall Confirmation was usually age 14, and he died when I was 14.5. So it could have been for either occasion.

[erudita74]

Joe

I’ve read that it was, and still is, a popular practice in southern Italy to give golden objects such as rings to newborns and young children at the time of such religious celebrations as their Baptisms or First Communions. During the Facist period, for example, some patriotic parents even went so far as to donate to the regime these gifts their children had previously received.

In the U.S., post WW II, it was also common for Italian relatives returning to Italy for a visit to bring back to the United States gold jewelry, such as slender gold rings which were coiled in the form of a snake, and which had a single semi-precious stone, to give to a young female relative here as a gift to celebrate her baptism or other religious rite of passage, such as First Communion.

So, I do believe that the rings on the fingers of the young Italian immigrant boys in the photos you found (although in the early 1900s) were given to them in celebration of one of these religious rites.

Erudita

[joetucciarone]

Thanks for the detailed information, Erudita. Unfortunately, it's a practice that my family abandoned at least 100 years ago! That would be when my family's 2nd generation of U.S. births began. Obviously, their Italian customs were beginning to be slowly being lost.

[erudita74]

Joe
I'm a second generation American of Italian descent, and my family never engaged in this practice, as far as I know. I just found this topic interesting.
Erudita

[MarcuccioV]

I recall as a child whenever a family member or friend of the family went back to Italy, they always brought back gold jewelry (most often chains, Saint medals and "corni"). Usually they were given a list & money to make purchases.

I'm not sure if their impression was that the gold was purer in Italy or whether certain items were only available there, but it seemed to be a tradition.

And it didn't seem to matter where in Italy they were from or going to, albeit most of my family members went to/nearby Rome...