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What did the Rings look like and What Were They Made From?
Saruman's study of the Rings provides us with useful information
as to their appearance. Gandalf recounts the history of the One
Ring during the Council of Elrond by recalling the words of
Saruman:
"The Nine, the Seven, and the Three", he said, "had each
their proper gem. Not so the One. It was round and
unadorned, as it were one of the lesser rings; but its maker
set marks upon it that the skilled, maybe, could still see and
read." [The Fellowship of the Ring]
These letters could be seen when the One Ring was heated, as in
Frodo's fire where Gandalf confirms his suspicions by making the
inscriptions appear as fiery letters of elven script in the Black
Tongue.
We also know the types of gems used for the Three Elven Rings:
- Narya was set with a ruby.
- Nenya was set with a adamant.
- Vilya was set with a sapphire.
We know that Nenya was made of mithril from the description at the
Grey Havens:
"On her finger was Nenya, the ring wrought of mithril, that
bore a single white stone flickering like a frosty star."
[The Return of the King]
What the other Elven-rings were made of is not known. Perhaps,
since they were the creation of Celebrimbor alone and apart and
different in nature than the other rings they were all made of
mithril. But from the above description it seems as if Tolkien is
singling out Nenya as distinct and different by saying "the" ring
made of mithril - as if implying that the other rings were made of
some other material like gold.
As for the Seven Dwarven Rings, we know that they were of
gold from the Silmarillion where it was said "that the foundation
of each of the Seven Hoards of the Dwarf-kings of old was a golden
ring." However, we do not know what gems were used in the rings.
As for the Nine, there is nothing written that describes what they
were made of or what type of gems they had. Yet, it could be
assumed that they too, were of gold.
The One Ring was, of course, made of gold and was unadorned with no
gems, and seemingly smooth except for the inscription made visible
when the Ring is heated.
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