Rings have long held a special place in human culture, symbolizing commitment, love, and fidelity across centuries and civilizations. The tradition of using rings as tokens of promises can be traced back to ancient Rome, where iron rings were exchanged during a legally mandated waiting period before marriage, serving as betrothal tokens.
By the 20th century, promise rings evolved to represent pre-engagement commitments, especially during World War II, when soldiers exchanged them with their loved ones as symbols of their promise to return and marry.
Fast forward to the 21st century, and rings are undergoing yet another transformation—this time, embracing technology. Rings are now emerging as elegant and secure hardware wallets for cryptocurrencies.
Earlier this year, Tangem, a Swiss-based technology company specializing in blockchain solutions, introduced the world’s first ring-shaped hardware wallet: the Tangem Ring. The innovation has already garnered significant attention, with over 10,000 units sold since its launch and a star appearance at the Bitcoin MENA Conference 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
The Tangem Ring, crafted from zirconia ceramic, combines durability with sophistication. Resistant to scratches, dust, water, and extreme temperatures, the ring is designed for daily wear. It integrates near-field communication (NFC) technology, enabling it to connect seamlessly with compatible smartphones. Tangem asserts that none of its hardware wallets have ever been hacked.
The ring features a built-in chip that generates a private key during activation. This key is securely stored on the ring itself and on two accompanying Tangem cards, with no other copies existing anywhere else.
The cards and ring establish a secure connection in order to transfer the encrypted private keys. Owners can simply tap the ring on their smartphones to access their wallets, enabling them to send, receive, buy, transfer, and swap thousands of cryptocurrencies. The ring also supports access to decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, decentralized apps (dApps), and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Notably, even if someone loses the 7.8-8 mm ring, the firm claims that funds will be safe as the person can access the funds via the backup cards. The firm also says that even if someone finds the ring, they will be unable to enter or reset the card.
