The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 10, 2026

A jadeite, a translucent stone, thumb ring features a thick, cylindrical body with rounded edges and a wide central opening. A vibrant emerald-green patch saturates the left side, bleeding into the milky-white base. Fine, dark veins and hairline cracks trace across the smooth, polished surface, providing organic detail to the heavy, minimalist form.

Thumb Ring

1800s–1900s

China, Qing dynasty

(1644-1911) or Republican period (1912-49)
white and green jade
Diameter: 3.1 cm (1 1/4 in.); Overall: 2.6 cm (1 in.)
Bequest of Cornelia Blakemore Warner 1947.548
Location: Not on view

Description

Jade rings were worn by men on the thumb of the right hand to assist with holding and pulling the string of the archer’s bow. However, thumb rings were also fashionable accessories for civil officials in the late Qing dynasty.
  • {{cite web|title=Thumb Ring|url=false|author=|year=1800s–1900s|access-date=10 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.548