What Do Astronomy and Jewelry Have in Common? In the Late Renaissance, Look to the Stars

"Combining the elegance of gold jewelry with the meticulous craftsmanship of intricate timepieces, a unique style of ring emerged from a fashion for the cosmos during the 16th and 17th centuries. Known as armillary rings, these deceptively simple gold creations can be worn on the finger like any other band, but when removed, they open up into a sphere made of several interconnecting circular bands operated by delicate hinges."

"Examples of armillary rings in the British Museum and the Swedish National Museums of History have been traced to Germany, made during the Late Renaissance as the study of astronomy reached new heights. In 1543, Copernicus essentially launched the scientific revolution when he claimed that the Earth rotates around the Sun, not the other way around. A few years later, Italian polymath Galileo Galilei, known as a pioneer of observational astronomy, built a telescope powerful enough to,"

Armillary rings originated in a 16th–17th century fashion for the cosmos, combining gold jewelry aesthetics with clockwork precision to produce rings that open into interlocking spherical bands. Surviving examples traced to Germany reflect Late Renaissance craftsmanship and a surge in astronomical study following Copernicus's heliocentric model and Galileo's telescopic discoveries. The rings replicate ancient armillary spheres, adapting bands that represent the equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the Sun's revolution. Hinged circular bands allow the wearable jewelry to expand into reference structures that mirror premodern cosmological models centering Earth.

Read at Colossal