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A mood ring is a finger
A mood ring is a finger ring
(The) Ring(s) may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV
* ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...
that contains a thermochromic
Thermochromism is the property of Chemical substance, substances to change color due to a change in temperature. A mood ring is an example of this property used in a consumer product although thermochromism also has more practical uses, such as b ...
element, or "mood stone", that changes colors based on the temperature of the finger of the wearer. Finger temperature, as long as the ambient temperature is relatively constant, is significantly determined by peripheral blood flow. A mood ring contains liquid crystals
Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal can flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a common direction as i ...
that change color depending on the temperature.
History
The idea to use thermosensitive elements in jewelry first arose from the Americanjeweler
A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmithing, goldsmithing, stone setting, engraving, ...
Marvin Wernick in 1974 after reading a magazine article about the use of liquid crystal elements in medical thermometers. He found a compound that changed color from black to green, blue and deep blue in the range of 32–38 °C and in January 1975 developed a technique for using it in pendants and rings. Sales began in February. Wernick called the jewelry "magical", and his promotional materials claimed that the color of the pendant or ring is an indicator of the warmth of the wearer's character. Since Wernick did not patent the invention, other jewelers adopted the idea and began to produce their thermosensitive jewelry. Soon someone came up with a successful term "mood ring", which was quickly adopted by all manufacturers, including Wernick.
Important producers of "mood rings" were Joshua Reynolds and Maris Ambats; many sources credit them as their inventor. Reynolds called the rings "a real biofeedback tool" that allows a person to get additional information about their body. In December 1975 the total value of the rings sold reached $15 million. However, in mid-December, the demand for rings suddenly fell as the market was oversaturated, and companies that did not have time to sell rings suffered losses. After a couple of years, "mood rings" went out of fashion.
See also
* Biorhythm (pseudoscience) * Liquid crystal thermometer *Methods of divination
Methods of divination can be found around the world, and many cultures practice the same methods under different names. During the Middle Ages, scholars coined terms for many of these methods—some of which had hitherto been unnamed—in Medie ...
References
Sources
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mood Ring 1970s fads and trends 1970s fashion Novelty items Rings (jewellery) Thermochromism