It doesn’t have to be a diamond to be romantic. Gifting jewelry as a token of love and commitment has been tradition for centuries in cultures all over the world. One of the most popular romantic jewelry items we get asked about here at Dragonspace is the Claddagh ring, so we thought we’d share the history of this famous love ring, and a few other pieces of romantic jewelry from our glittering cases!

The Claddagh Ring

Are you familiar with the above image? This symbolic ring—featuring a heart held by two hands and topped with a crown—is known as a 'Claddagh' ring and is a popular Irish icon.

Claddagh rings have been around since the 17th-century, and are said to have originated in the Irish village of Galway. The symbols on the ring represent love (the heart), friendship (the hands) and loyalty (the crown). So it's no surprise that Claddagh rings are popularly used as engagement, wedding and commitment rings.

What you might not know is that the way you wear the Claddagh ring is important. Many people believe that the positioning of a Claddagh ring is a statement of the wearer’s relationship status, as follows:

1. Right hand, point of the heart facing away from the wearer: you’re single and looking
2. Right hand, point of the heart facing towards the wearer: you’re in a relationship
3. Left ring finger, point of the heart facing away from the wearer: you’re engaged
4. Left ring finger, point of the heart facing toward the wearer: you’re married

While Claddagh rings are popular among Irish people and those of Irish descent, anyone can wear them! They might also be given as a gift of friendship, or even love among family members. The Claddagh symbol can also feature on other types of jewelry, such as earrings and bracelets.

Claddagh rings are certainly a popular piece of romantic jewelry, but they’re not the only kind. If you’re in the market for a symbolic trinket to gift your partner—or even pop the question!—we’ve got a few different options:

Celtic Knots

Celtic knots are a well-known type of Celtic artwork. These intricate knots feature in art, architecture and fashion all over the world, and are heavy in symbolism. Celtic knots signify the interconnectedness of the world and as many of the knots are ‘infinite’ or ‘endless’, they can be strong symbols of eternity.  Therefore, gifting your partner with a piece of jewelry featuring a Celtic knot is a powerful way to declare your spiritual connection, and to make a promise of forever.

There’s also a special selection of Celtic knots that are ‘threefold’—such as the triskele and the triquetra—that symbolise the ‘threefold’ nature of our world. For Christians, this represents the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit. But for Pagans, this indicated the three stages of womanhood: the maiden, the mother and the crone. Trinity knots are also popular wedding ring symbols as they’re a bold statement of being loyal to your partner through all stages of life.

Elven Love Rings

Most people are familiar with the famous ‘One Ring’ from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. But while that ring has a fairly ominous story behind it, there’s a more romantic version! This Elven Love Ring is inspired by the unique Elvish language that Tolkien himself famously created. Stamped upon the ring in Elvish is the inscription, ‘One ring to seal our love and forever to entwine us’, both on the inside and outside of the ring. What a perfect gift for the Middle-earth romantic!

Dragons and Fairies

In our modern times, many people are rejecting the traditional notions of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ identities. A better non-gender specific way of describing different energies is that of ‘moon’ and ‘sun’ energies, or ‘dragon’ and ‘fairy’ energies. Dragon energies tend to be fierce, zealous and assertive. While fairy energies tend to be delicate, intuitive and sensitive.

If you’re not one for tradition, you might like to wear a matching dragon and fairy ring pairing with your partner. You’ll be the dragon to their fairy, and vice versa! This is a unique way of declaring your love for each other that’s far from traditional.

As you can see, there a few creative ways you can express your love to your partner, friend or family member in jewelry form. You might be guided by your cultural heritage or your spiritual interests—either way, your declaration of love can be just as unique as your bond is! Let us know in the comments what your favourite piece of romantic jewelry is, or what you’ve been inspired by.

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Many people are familiar with the art of tarot—using symbolic cards as divinatory tools. But how much do you know about oracle cards? 

Oracle cards are often grouped together with tarot, but they're actually quite different. Tarot cards work together as a unified set (containing the Major and Minor Arcana, similar to a traditional playing card deck), and they're normally read in systematic 'spreads'.

Oracle cards (which also encompass angel and wisdom cards) are more free-form and flexible. You often don't require special knowledge to read oracle cards—hallelujah!

The most common way to use oracle cards is to intuitively pick a single card from your chosen deck at the beginning of the day, or when you're in most need of guidance. This card will then act like your Pole Star, leading you in the right direction and helping you to make sense of life.

Just like tarot decks, there are hundreds of oracle and wisdom decks out there, produced by artists and visionaries who want to bring their own unique touch to the magical art of oracle reading. We've selected ten of our most unique (and popular!) oracle decks here - take a look!

1. The Original Angel Cards

The Original Angel Cards are a great introduction to the world of oracle. With a bright simple design, these little cards have a clear message stamped on each of them—like 'healing', 'joy' or 'celebration'—accompanied by homely images of angels. With their small size and clear imagery, it's so easy to have these cards nestled in a bowl in your home or business, for yourself or your guests to easily pick up. The message you select will help guide the rest of your day.

2. Healing With The Fairies Cards

Fairies are powerful figures. Their healing and guidance is called upon in many magical practices, and oracle reading is no exception. This beautiful fairy-inspired deck is created by acclaimed spiritual writer Doreen Virtue. Containing 44 unique cards, the colourful fairy imagery in this deck is accompanied by powerful messages like "Quiet Time", "Trust Your Intuition" and "Raising Your Standards". Pick a card from this deck, and you'll have a clear focus to channel your energies for the day.

3. Magickal Spellcards

These cards a bit different than your average oracle deck. Instead of containing an image and message, each card in this deck features a unique spell by bestselling author and witch, Lucy Cavendish. You'll find empowering spells focused on love, beauty, abundance and more, all accompanied by an in-depth guidebook to help you with your spell-casting. These cards can be used like an oracle deck (i.e. pick a card at random from the deck and let it guide you), or you can take a more organised approach.

4. Lenormand Oracle

Marie Anne Lenormand was a French fortune-teller, famous for being Napolean's card reader and guide. This oracle deck is based on the legendary clairvoyant's practice, and is a little more structured than your traditional oracle. Each card in the 36-card deck contains a number and a 19th-century inspired image, accompanied by an in-depth guide to help you read this unique set. It might take you a little bit longer to pick up Lenormand's approach to cartomancy, but it's definitely worth a try—her legacy is legendary, after all!

5. Animal Spirits Knowledge Cards

This gorgeous deck features paintings by acclaimed artist Susan Seddon Boulet, known for her images that weave magic into the animal kingdom and the natural world. Not surprisingly, animals are the muse for this deck, with each of the 48 cards featuring an animal and their spiritual profile. Intended to be used like a regular oracle deck, the animal card you pick from this selection will give you strength, guidance and wisdom to focus your day.

7. Past Life Oracle

This oracle deck is also created by Doreen Virtue, but puts a unique spin on traditional oracle reading. This set is inspired by the concept of 'past lives', and how who you were in your previous lives affects who you are today. Containing 44 cards, this deck will help you to better understand yourself so that you can overcome problems and forge a brighter future.

7. Mystical Wisdom Deck 

This vivid magical oracle deck is based on artwork by popular fantasy artist Josephine Wall. Each card in this 46-card deck features a unique angel, animal, goddess or fairy, accompanied by a bold message to guide you—such as "take a leap of faith", "open your heart" and "live life to the fullest". These gorgeous cards are sure to add light, love and wisdom into your day.

8. Kuan Yin Oracle

Kuan Yin is known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, and her divine energy forms the inspiration for this ethereal oracle deck. Created by Alana Fairchild, this beautiful deck brings you closer to the goddess and to the divine feminine energy inside yourself. With breath-taking imagery inspired by Buddhist spirituality, this 44-card deck also comes with a detailed guidebook to help you in your reading.

9. Flower of Life Oracle

This nature-inspired deck is guided by the 'Wisdom of Astar', a "loving energetic consciousness". Each card in this set features a gentle and calming photograph of nature's beauties, from butterflies to flowers and all in between, accompanied by special messages to help you draw wisdom from nature. Inject peace and power into your life with this unique and soothing traditional oracle deck.

10. Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

This unique deck is inspired by the ancient art of tea-leaf reading. The distinctive circular cards in this deck feature beautiful watercolour depictions of traditional tea leaf symbols. The deck is accompanied by a detailed guidebook that will help you read both the cards and physical tea leaves—absorbing this ancient divinatory practice to its fullest!

As you can see, there's so much variety and creativity to the world of oracle card reading. Each creator brings their own interpretation to the practice, so it's up to you to decide which design and structure suits you best...and don't worry, every deck contains a detailed guide to help you! But the purpose of oracle card reading remains the same, from deck to deck—to receive divine wisdom, guidance and inspiration from the cards to help you in your daily life. 

Let us know in the comments which decks are your favourites!

VIEW ALL OUR ORACLE DECKS HERE

We love the mysterious world of tarot. A while ago, we posted an Introduction to Tarot and Oracle Reading, to help you understand the basics of the sacred practice and things to consider when choosing a deck. Now, we want to celebrate the decks themselves.

There are hundreds of tarot decks out there, inspired by visuals and themes like animals, art movements, world culture, literature and more. Most standard tarot decks will still contain the traditional 78 cards, comprised of 22 Major Arcana cards and 40 Minor Arcana Cards. But each tarot deck creator will bring a unique visual flair and personal interpretation of the tarot symbols. This means that each deck is distinctive, and almost like a little treasure trove of art in itself!

Below, we take a look at ten of our most unique tarot decks. Click on the tarot titles to learn more about each deck, or to buy!

1. Mystical Cats

If you love magic, chances are you love cats too. There’s just something mystical and spiritual about these fantastic felines! This gorgeous tarot deck delves into the magical world of cats, with the Major Arcana reinterpreted as Cat Mysteries and the Minor Arcana envisioned as Earth, Sea, Fire, and Sky Cat Clans. Cat lovers will definitely feel a connection to this unique tarot deck, which will help you in your practice.

The Linestrider gets its name from the fact that is straddles two worlds - the magical and the logical. Designed by Siolo Thompson, the dreamy pastel colours and intricate detail of this tarot deck are truly unique. The deck is based on the original Rider-Waite-Smith tarot system, but is full of gorgeous new imagery that conjures up magical energy.

3. Golden Botticelli

If you’re a fan of Botticelli and Renaissance Art, you’ll be drawn to this stunning tarot deck. The art in these cards is inspired by the great Italian painter and the symbolism and imagery that he favoured in his masterpieces. Just like an art critic would examine an artwork to find deeper meaning, these cards also reveal hidden truths if you’re looking hard enough. An ideal choice for those who like to merge the artistic and the spiritual.

Paulina Cassidy’s gorgeous artwork in the Spiritsong Tarot is inspired by animals and the energy they exude. Each animal included in the deck has been specifically selected based upon Shamanic symbolism, and their unique powers have been used to accentuate the traditional tarot structure. The Spirtsong deck has four unique suits - Acorns for Wands/Fire, Feathers for Swords/Air, Shells for Cups/Water, and Crystals for Coins/Earth.

Even though tarot is centuries-old, tarot decks can include contemporary art too. This unique deck is inspired by Manga, the comic-book artform popular in Japan. The artwork draws influence from Oriental mythology and encompasses ritual, nature and legend. With powerful symbolism and fierce artwork, this should be a top pick for Manga fans.

Russian artist Yury Shakov lends his skill to this beautiful tarot deck. Shakov is known for his illustration of Russian folk and fairy tales, and there’s definitely element of story and fantasy in these boldly-coloured cards. They almost look like miniature paintings, with colours and designs reminiscent of Russian icons like Faberge eggs and matryoshka dolls. If you’ve got Russian heritage, or are interested in Russian history and culture, you’ll find strength and spirit in these cards.

7. Dreams of Gaia

The bold vivid colours of this deck - designed by popular artist Ravynne Phelan - truly stand out. The earth and her powers are a clear inspiration for the mystical imagery in this deck, and are present in nearly every card. These cards sorted into a Major and Minor Arcana structure, but offer bold new archetypes, symbology, and meanings more suited to the present. Let the earth guide you with this unique take on traditional tarot.

The artwork of Nicoletta Ceccolli is both playful and eerie. There’s an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ feel to these unique images, where joy and wonder meet hints of darkness. This deck is perfect for complex questions that don’t have clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers, mingling colour with shades of grey.

And of course, we have to finish with a dragon tarot! David Corsi’s dragon art is bold and realistic, weaving a legendary story among the cards. Let the wisdom and power of dragons guide you in your tarot practice, and be inspired by the formidable scenes depicted in each of these unique cards.

So there’s a selection of ten tarot decks that we find truly unique. But there are dozens more in our tarot collection to suit all kinds of spirits! Whether you’re drawn to the delicate world of faeries, or want to be inspired by the Renaissance masters of old, you’ll find a deck that’s right for you. Let us know in the comments what your favourites are.

VIEW ALL OUR TAROT & ORACLE DECKS HERE