Precious...not to be confused with Lord of the Rings.

Back home we have a word for something like this. It’s ‘taonga’, which in Maori means ‘treasure’. The reason being, that you can’t buy it for yourself. It must be given. And to receive one is a great honour.

The story behind the Latvian Ring goes something like this:

Back in the 13th Century, Latvia was invaded by German Crusaders. At the time Latvia’s chieftain was a six-foot, eight-pack, enviously-bearded male…the kind legends are made of. His name was Namejs [pronounced Nah-mays] and he ruled the Semigallian tribes.

During the German invasion Namejs was forced to retreat south to Lithuania. One thought is that he employed a local artisan to craft a ring that would represent the unity of Latvia against her enemies – three bands entwined then held together by another. Until that time there had been disagreements and fighting among the three ancient tribal regions Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Latgale. It is rumoured Namejs said something along the lines of: “We must stand together against the Strangers... then, when they're gone, we can quarrel amongst ourselves.”

Another hypothesis for the ring being commissioned was so Namejs’ son would recognise him when they were reunited after battle. Apparently the GCs heard about this and attempted to find the boy and kill him. Trying to protect Namejs and his son, Semigallian males made and wore replica rings.

Along the River Daugava, similar looking rings have been found and dated to the 13th Century. Each is hand-crafted so no two are the same. Boys receive their ring as a rite of passage into adulthood. Women can wear the braid as a ring, bracelet, necklace or brooch.

It is a symbol of belonging to Latvia, being Latvian, or having a connection to this country wherever you are in the world.