A Little Pop Culture, A Little Old Tradition

There's certain pieces of jewellery that are quite definitive in pop culture. Like the "Heart of the Ocean" necklace in Titanic, or that gigantic diamond collar Nicole Kidman's character Satine wears in Moulin Rouge. Today I was thinking about a more subtle piece of jewellery in pop culture and, being a traditional Irish symbol of love, kind of goes with the month of March and St. Patrick's day coming up next week.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a diehard Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Any chance I get to talk about Buffy I welcome with great excitement. I grew up with the show, premiering in 1996 when I was just 11 years old and probably had no business watching such a scarey program. But something in the dark comedic stylings of Joss Whedon grabbed hold of me and never let go.
Another one of Joss's writing talents is a tragic romance of epic proportions. A slayer and a vampire in love? Oh yes, and that vampire was the most ruthless vicious vampire of all time and some gypsies cursed him with a soul so he would suffer for all of eternity! There were tears, there action packed fights, there were moments where our hearts skipped a beat, and there was the time Angel gave Buffy this:

And then this happened...

 

 And then we all died when this happened...

 

Then some other PG13 stuff happened that I won't post here but back to the ring!

Angel, or Liam as was his human name, was from Ireland originally. I don't know what happened to his accent but he did keep one Irish tradition going when he gave Buff that Claddagh ring. A heart representing love, hands representing friendship, and a crown representing loyalty. The way you wear it is determined by your martial status. It's worn on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if the wearer is single, on the right hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the wearer is in a relationship, on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the fingertips if the wearer is engaged, and on the left hand with the point of the heart toward the wrist if the wearer is married.

Hopefully if someone gives you a Claddagh ring you get to wear it longer than Buff Buff did :s

-Lauren