Many are the ones who for years have been fascinated by the beauty and the mysterious nature of mood rings. These magical pieces of jewelry allow you to see your own emotional state by having your feelings expressed through a spectrum of colors. It is, indeed, captivating to know that our feelings, our most unexplainable and complex part of our being, is devolved through mood rings.
So, what is inside mood rings that make them so special? Is there something truly magical that is worth believing or should we delve more into the scientific part? Well, grab your popcorn and take a few minutes to read and learn everything you need to know about this fascinating jewelry.
Brief History of Mood Rings
Joshua Reynolds and Maris Ambats (co-developers from New York City) are attributed to the creation of mood rings in the 1970s. “The ring that reveals emotions” as ads claimed, first became popular in New York City, and soon spread throughout the US and the entire world. The 70s were the days when people began actively exploring their feelings, and the color-changing ring burst into the scene in a big way.
The groundbreaking phenomenon wasn’t hocus pocus as from a scientific perspective, the Mood Ring was a valid indicator of someone’s emotional state. As retailers explained, the first Mood Ring introduced in 1975 came in a metal band that conducted heat from the finger to the liquid crystal, causing its color to change in response to the temperature of the skin. In just four months from its initial release, the retail industry generated an estimated $250 million in sales.
Evidently, people were keen to know how they were feeling.
Colors and Meanings of Mood Rings
Black – Tension
That dreaded black mood ring, as you may understand, is not a desirable state of being. Leaving aside that the crystal might be damaged (doesn’t reflect any other color except black) a black mood ring symbolizes fear, sorrow, stress, and depression. But don’t panic just yet. The cause of a black mood ring can often be poor circulation as well. If you are working in an office with poor quality heating in the wintertime this might be the most likely culprit for the black color of your mood ring. With that said, if you’re not working in a cold environment, you might have other problems to worry about. If the temperature is not the case, it means you need to exercise more. Consider exercising at least 30 minutes a day, and add more proteins, vitamins, and minerals to your diet. This will work in the betterment of your circulation and calm your body.
Another cause of a consistent black mood ring is also the daily interference of outside forces. If your black mood ring color isn’t caused by health issues, try to understand how you feel about what’s happening to you in your daily life.
Personal family matters, problems at work, anxiety caused by exams, etc. are all factors that indicate a high level of tension and pressure you’re dealing with. This is natural and happens to everyone, as you know that in the near future you will look back and be happy how you have surpassed these difficulties that in the end, only helped you become a stronger person.
Gray/Brown – Anxious, Nervous
Leaving the temperature and health conditions aside, the main factor that may cause your mood ring to turn gray is because you might be anxious or unsettled. You feel strained and a little preoccupied or something is worrying you.
A brown color mood ring shows a more aggravated state of being with the wearer usually being restless or stressed. Your mind is all over the place and you might as well be feeling some worry or fear.
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Amber/ Gold – Surprised
An amber colored mood ring means that you’re excited and a bit unsettled. You feel like trying something new, which is experienced differently from one person to another. Some might take it as cool and exciting while others are a bit skeptical and hesitant.
The brighter yellow-gold color on your mood ring means you have mixed feelings about an occurrence. You’re unsettled yet cool, but definitely not nervous or unhappy.
Light Blue – Calm & Neutral
The blue color on a mood ring expresses calmness and neutrality. When relaxed, your body is at a normal temperature, given that the room temperature isn’t overly cold or hot. With no disturbances, you should remain at a normal body temperature. This commonly results in a light blue tint mood ring. The blue mood ring is the most common mood ring color to see and is commonly associated with peace and serenity.
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Dark Blue – Happy, Romantic
It is also normal for your mood ring to change color from light blue and dark blue. A dark blue mood ring color means an even higher level of relaxation and an elevated level of calm.
While the light blue mood ring color is achieved at a constant body temperature, the dark blue color comes as a result of small touches of warmth released into your body. Feelings that create that “touch of heat” while in a calm and peaceful state come when we think for the ones we love, when we give something to someone, or when we look back to the journey we followed to achieve a great goal.
These quick small rushes of warmth are felt when you receive an “I love you” text midday for no reason from your significant other, is the cause of an elated but peripheral rush of warmth.
In other words, congratulations! You must be happy and thankful. Whether that’s from accomplished goals, in love, or due to your giving nature; these are all wonderful reasons to be happy.
Purple – Love, Romance, Excitement
There are various reasons that cause your mood ring to turn purple and of course, the surrounding temperature is one of them. First things first, a high body temperature is the cause of your mood ring purple color. If you’re running on the treadmill or rushing to catch a bus, it is normal for your mood ring to turn purple.
But if you’re as usual working in an office, or doing some certain activity that does not include working out, your ring might be telling you something. Small touches of warmth that blossom into something grander than you intercepted – lust, attraction, and companionship, a.k.a Love.
Conceiving romantic interludes or feeling amorous while passing some romantic moments with a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband can cause a set of hormones to steam from the brain and stir this warmth within you.
Keep in mind that your mood ring can also turn a lighter shade of purple when playing with dear friends or family members in a playful fashion.
And the opposite can happen (your mood ring not turning purple) when you’re with your significant other. Don’t reach too much into this. Often, an experienced love can more frequently result in a blue mood ring. It happens as you have overpassed “the honeymoon phase” and you don’t have the same feeling of excitement and unpredictability someone brand new would transmit to you.
Instead, your significant other is someone you trust, someone that still excites you but with constant and unconditioned love, and their presence brings you peace. This is what surpassing an amorous state feels, and your mood ring will be often accompanied by a deep blue color.
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Green – Alertness, Anxiety, and Sensitivity
The green mood ring color comes as a result of a cooler body temperature. If you’re living in a cold climate, your body temperature will react to its surroundings and your mood ring will have a green to a darker green color.
If the room temperature is not the cause, the effect of a cool body temperature may come due to inactivity over a period of time. If you’ve been sitting at your desk for too long, that might have caused your circulation to slow and eventually lower your body temperature.
Alertness and Anxiety mixed with Sensitivity are the most commonly associated feelings with the green mood ring color. The feeling you get when placing a bet, performing on stage, or before giving a speech. Your heart is pumping, your forehead is covered in sweat and remarkably you feel your body is stone cold. The same agitated but not yet angry state of being is also felt when a client yells at you on your phone or when a friend is having trouble with their teacher. Slight stress mixed with anxiety (caused when you feel upset) makes the heart pump harder and eventually increases the temperature. Your body counteracts sweating to cool you back down.
Please make sure the room isn’t cold before you start spending the next hour trying to figure out what is making you upset. Just a reminder!
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How Mood Rings Work?
The stone on mood rings is hollow quartz or a glass shell that contains thermotropic liquid crystals. They can’t tell your emotional state with any degree of accuracy but the liquid crystals have the ability to change color in response to body temperature change.
The crystal is calibrated to a pleasing blue or green color at 82 F (28 C) – the average person’s normal resting peripheral body temperature. As body temperature increases in response to happiness or passion, the crystal’s color also changes to reflect blue. When you’re stressed or excited, fingers get cooler as the blood flow is directed more towards the internal organs and further from the skin. This will cause the crystal of your mood ring to change to yellow. In cold weather, or when dealing with a high level of tension and pressure, expect the mood ring to be dark gray or black.
