Pinky ring

A pinky ring is a ring worn on the little finger of either hand, which is also called the "fifth finger".

A variety of pinky rings are awarded to graduating engineering students in North America, generally intended to serve as a reminder of the significance and impact of their chosen profession. In Canada, these include the Iron Ring, made of either crudely worked iron or stainless steel and worn on the dominant hand, presented to engineering students during the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, and the silver, but otherwise similar Earth Ring, associated with the geologists and geophysicists of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. In the United States, the Engineer's Ring, awarded by the Order of the Engineer, is similar to the Canadian Iron Ring.

Human ecology and home economics graduates also receive a pinky ring symbolizing their profession. The Human Ecology Ring was first instigated by a group of young graduates at Macdonald College, Quebec, in 1968.

At times, pinky rings have been worn with the intent to convey a message or indicate affiliation. During the Victorian era, both single men and women uninterested in pursuing marriage could wear a ring on the little finger of their left hand. Especially in the United States, pinky rings also developed an association with criminal activity.Grifters were thought to wear such rings, sometimes to provide their associates with a source of funding for their funeral expenses in case of their death, as were made men in the American Mafia. Movies such as Little Caesar and The Godfather contributed to the association of this style of jewellery with organized crime.

The more modern use of the pinky ring has weakened its traditional historic symbolism. In the early 20th century, these rings were popular in Parisian fashion, especially among the youth. In the United States, such rings have become a "fundamental of American style", in some way due to its symbolic past.

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