A 16th Century Irish Adventurer, Richard Joyce, was captured en-route to the West Indies by Moorish pirates and was enslaved to a Goldsmith, who developed such a liking for him that he taght him his trade and set him free. Returning home to his village of Claddagh, he designed the claddagh ring.
The hands signify friendship, the crown loyalty, and the heart love. To give the Claddagh is to forge the bonds of love, friendship, and loyalty forever.
Measures 1/2 inch in diameter.