The Claddagh ring originates from 17th-century Galway, Ireland, and symbolizes love, loyalty, and friendship. Its design features two hands holding a crowned heart; with the hands representing friendship, the heart representing love, and the crown representing loyalty. According to a popular legend, a fisherman named Richard Joyce, captured by pirates and enslaved in Algeria, learned goldsmithing during his captivity. Upon his release, he returned to Galway to come home to his wife not expecting her to stay with him; after noticing his wife stayed loyal to him, despite how long he had been gone, he crafted the Claddagh ring as a tribute to his love and homeland. 

Traditionally, how the ring is worn is meant to indicate the wearer’s relationship status: worn on the right hand with the heart facing outward, it shows they’re single; inward on the right means they’re taken, and on the left hand, it can indicate engagement or marriage. The heart facing outward symbolizes engagement and the heart facing outward symbolizes marriage. Over time, the Claddagh ring has become a cherished symbol of Irish heritage, often passed down through generations as a meaningful gift or being bought by significant others to signify the strong commitment and loyalty of the relationship. 

For me, the Claddagh Ring is a symbol of my heritage, loyalty, and love. I wear it facing inward on my right hand to show the loyalty and love I have for my partner. I wear the ring to symbolize my loyalty and love and to keep my heritage with me at all times. The Celtic symbols and events bring me closer to something that means so much to me