As the song goes, on the fifth day of Christmas, five golden rings was the gift of choice. We think it's an excellent idea! The first published version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in 1780 showed an illustration of five simple rings, fitting for the Georgian time period.
Illustration from Mirth Without Mischief (1780)
The ring necked pheasant. Not as much fun to receive as a finger ring.
In the mid 20th century, scholar William Baring-Gould postulated that the five gold rings were actually five golden "rings," or rather, ring necked pheasants. This makes sense in the context of the song, with its gift theme of birds (swans a swimming, geese a laying, etc.). However, if pressed to choose, we would rather receive five golden finger rings, be it the fifth day of Christmas or any day of the week.
Five Victorian golden rings, available at Gray & Davis and from the G&D Archive.
Happy holidays from the Gray & Davis team!