More subtly and more sentimentally such announcements may be made, moments recorded, or feelings expressed, through the initial letters of the gems. Thus a beloved named Adele might be given a ring with stones set in the following order: amethyst, diamond, emerald, lapis lazuli, emerald; the first letters of the names of the stones spell her name. A favorite such token is one arranged so that the initial letters of the stones spell “Regard Love”; hence, these have sometimes been called regard rings. Rings have been used to express sentiment less soft, as well; politically minded Irish, in Revolution times, were wearing rings that spelled Repeal. For those with the enthusiasm and the funds, almost an entire alphabet of gem stones can be used. Omitting duplicates, one may run along, to spell one’s message, with amber, bloodstone, carnelian, diamond, emerald, fluorite, garnet, hyacinth, indicolite, jasper, kunzite, lapis lazuli, moonstone, nephrite, opal, pearl, quartz, ruby, sapphire, turquoise, variscite, willemite, zircon. This fashion of conveying one’s sentiments has never grown obsolete and is continually renewed. _The Nuptial Ring_ When courtship reaches the more definite stage of betrothal, rings are still the order of the day. As early as the second century B. C. the Romans, whose marriages were not love matches but family affairs, gave formal engagement rings. A study of Shakespeare reveals forty-five references to rings and jewels, eleven being of Queen Elizabeth’s favorite, the pearl. For example, betrothal rings are exchanged by Troilus and Cressida; and such an exchange builds the sunrise comedy scene at the close of _The Merchant of Venice_. For friends, the _fede_ (faithful) ring developed, a band of gold representing clasped hands. For lovers, the gimmal or gemmal, the twin ring, was popular; this consisted of two rings intimately intertwined, which ingeniously came apart so that each lover could wear half of the pair. Climax of the deft pursuit and fond allure, the wedding ring has always been a treasured symbol. An early ecclesiastic told why: “The form of the ring being circular, that is, round and without end, importeth thus, that mutual love and heartfelt affection shall roundly flow from one to the other, as in a circle, continuously and forever.”