Where Have All the Mood Rings Gone?

Rings have always been symbolic. In high school getting a class ring is a big deal, a little later in life comes the excitement of an engagement ring and then a wedding band. There are other special rings: promise rings, purity rings, military rings, college rings and even the National Football League has a Super Bowl ring.

But there is only one generation that has a distinct ring of their own - the baby boomers. The "me" generation were the first and only generation to have their own bonafide generation ring. A unique thermotropic liquid crystal ring set in silver that changed colors according to the wearers mood. Pretty cool for an era that also gave us The Pet Rock, The Flying Nun, paper clothing and streaking.

For those lucky enough to be born in the late 1960s through the 1970s mood rings became a prized heirloom. Teenagers who liked to say "like," wore big hair, lots of clothes and danced the night away to everything from Prince to Guns-n-Roses, often wore mood rings as one of the rare cool tokens from their parents "bell-bottom" generation they liked to snicker at. It was nothing unusual to see a mood ring get passed around class rooms and down school halls for people to try on. On any given school day someone would be wearing their best friend's mother's or father's mood ring with repeated instructions not to lose it. The rings had an undeniable power of getting attentions.

It was always interesting to see just how the ring would react from one individual to the next. On Kimberly, it would turn a deep mysterious blue, on Jennifer is went from jade to amber but on poor Daniel it never turned anything but black, no matter how he felt. Accurate predictions were a rarity for the ring wearer. It wasn't uncommon for the wearer to see a color emerge and then blurt out that they weren't feeling nervous. Yes, the poor mood rings have been accused of being frauds time and time again. No one wanted to believe that it was the ring wearer's body temperature and not feelings that were changing the color.

For those who may still have a mood ring from their own youth and those who may still have your parents be sure to remind yourselves how lucky you are. Sure, there are vendors out today who sell mood rings but the rings are nothing like the original. The original mood ring was Victorian styled and oval shaped and to a degree witchy looking, like something Snow White's evil stepmother would have worn. Those original rings were a symbol of a counterculture that has never been seen since and most likely never will again, a time when materialism was frowned upon, and many young people briefly tried to love and understand one another during one of the most violent eras in United States history.

You never see people walking around wearing mood rings anymore. Young people are attached to their cell phones and iPods. The mood rings were a small source of entertainment but at no cost, cash wasn't needed to operate them everyday. Maybe that's another mark on how times have changed because during the 1960s - 1970s races, youth, women and just about everyone fought to be free, to live in freedom. The young people today are ultra-bright but also very materialistic and just for small joys they're willing to pay cash. Times have changed and in a lot of ways for the better. But why can't people appreciate the simple luxuries like cheap mood rings anymore?

Sure, cell phones and iPods are fun but they never know how you feel.

Mood ring color key

Black - tense, overworked, stressed, weary.

Silver - nervous, anxieties.

Amber- nervous, excited.

Green- average, calm, not aroused.

Blue- relaxed, calm, good mood.

Dark Blue - lovable, very happy, romantic, passionate.

Please note: The above is going by the traditional mood ring color key. Newer mood rings that are worn today have additional colors including red, magenta, orange, yellow and purple.

Of course, the best places to look for an authentic mood ring is flea markets, festivals and ebay.