Claddagh

www.IRISHSHOP.com is a great site to view different kinds of Irish jewelry.  I like the claddagh jewelry.  Two hands clasp a heart surmounted by a crown. The hands represent friendship, the crown represents loyalty and the heart represents love.  The claddagh ring can be worn on the right hand with the crown turned inward if you are single.  If married the ring is worn on the left hand with the crown turned up toward the finger nail.  

If your interested in your family crest these are sold on the above site.   They have alot of gifts to look at and wish for.  Me being the woman that I am... was born to shop.  

maggiemahone1

I seem to remember there is also a reserved claddaugh or a special one that royalty has worn?
or am I mistaken for another broach?

this is a beautiful piece of art and I could never see wearing it on my finger. I'd want to hang it on my wall!!

I got one of those ring in Galway.  And it's one of my favorite jewel. Falachaidh, there's some copper plaque with the Claddagh symbol, and some door knocker too. There's a way to have one on your wall for sure. Did you knew that the ring  got it's name from a small village near Galaway? The motto of the Claddagh symbol is : let love and friendship reign. There's many legends surrounding the origine of the ring.

The first one says that it's a certain  Margaret Joyce from a  tribe of Galway  who married a Spanish merchant.  Her husband died a few years after the wedding and left his widow a great fortune.  She used this money to build bridges troughout the province of Connacht. As a reward of her philanthropy, an eagle dropped a gold ring (the original Claddagh) into her lap.

Another version  attributes the ring to a Galway native named Richard Joyce, who was captured  by Algerians corsairs on his way to the West Indies and then sold as a slave to a Moorish goldsmith. Trained in his master craft, in 1689 Joce was freed and returned to Galway where he began making Claddagh rings.

The tradition is that the ring pass from mother to daughter as a wedding ring. But now tit's a very popular present for special occasions like birthdays, first communion, confirmation and engagement.

There, I shared everything I knew about this wonderful symbol. Hope you enjoyed.

Mel, I had never heard the story of the Galway woman that married the Spanish merchant before.  I really like the claddagh and what is symbolizes. I like the emerald claddagh jewelry.  Of course I would take a rock or even some dirt from Ireland.     Take Care!

maggiemahone1

maybe some Irish marble would please my Queen...:rolleyes

I wear several jewelry pieces of the Claddagh! My husband has a lot of Irish ancestry and I have gotten from him a Claddagh ring, necklace and ankle bracelet. Here is a bit o history of the Claddagh!

The Claddagh Ring

The perfect gift for a friend or loved one

The romantic story of the mystical and beautiful Claddagh Ring began way back over 300 years ago in the ancient fishing village of Claddagh just outside the walls of the City of Galway on the west coast of Ireland.
Legend has it that a local man, Richard Joyce, was captured by pirates and sold into slavery, the property of a rich Turkish goldsmith.In time Joyce became a master craftsman himself and, on earning his freedom, returned to Galway and created the legendary Claddagh Ring.

The rings were kept as family heirlooms which were passed lovingly down from mother to daughter on her wedding day.

The design has now become very popular internationally. The simplicity of the ring and the symbolism it conveys, makes it the perfect gift for a friend or loved one.
The ring, depicting two hands clutching a heart, complete with a crown, epitomises the expression of lasting love and eternal friendship. The heart symbolises love, the hands friendship and the crown loyalty and fidelity.

Wear this ring on your right hand with the heart facing outwards and the world will know your heart has not yet been won.
Wear it on the right hand with the heart facing inwards and it shows you have friendship and love under consideration.
But worn on your left hand with the heart turned inwards it means two loves have joined forever.

Thank you CelticRose. I love my claddagh ring. I also have a claddagh brooch that I sometimes pin on my handbag. I love the way claddagh is pronounced.

maggiemahone1



Ireland forever!

I love the Claddagh! I loved that piece of jewelry before I even knew what it represented or even knew it was Irish! Then I got my first piece of Claddagh jewelry and I was hooked. Have you ever watched QVC when they have the St Patrick's Day special or the Rose of Tralee? I watch that all the time and love it and have bought some really nice Irish jewelry from there. I also have a Celtic cross that I wear made in Ireland from a friend of mine from Northern Ireland. I just love it too!

I'm so jealous that you have a piece of jewelry from Ireland. Just kiddin'!
I have watched the St. Pat's special on QVC, such beautiful jewelry and if I remember right they had clothing too.

maggiemahone1

Yes! QVC's Irish special has everything! Lots of Irish jewelry, clothing and crystal. My friend from Northern Ireland also brought me a Beleeck (sp?) vase and a Porceleon step dancer Irish doll from NO. Ireland.

I do a lot of shopping at the Creative Irish gifts www.shopirish.com though. Love jewelry! That is my pleasure!

I remember one day dining at a restaurant with a friend whose daughter was a waitress there, and as she was at the table next to ours taking the orders from some businessmen I saw that the fellow sitting closest to me had not only his wedding ring on his left hand but also a gold claddagh with the heart turned inwards! I thought that was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen, sooo romantic!

I have a silver claddagh from Dublin that has a tiny emerald in the heart - its a very special ring to me, and reminds me of the emerald fields in Ireland...

I didn't know you had a claddagh ring! Mine is gold and I wear it on the finger next to my wedding rings which are in gold. The rest of the jewelry I wear is silver.

Yes, I ordered it from a shop in Dublin after we had returned from that trip to Ireland in 1998. I remember asking my Irish friend Donna if it was permissible for me to wear one since my only ancestral connection with Ireland is through two women far back in my father's family line, and she said that I definately should wear one as a symbol of my Irish connection (insinuating that my personality was more of an indication of my Irishness than the heredity was! )


The ring makes me smile every time I look at it. What an honor to claim connection with such an amazing people and country...