In the famous first stanza of the 17th-century poem “Auguries of Innocence,” William Blake writes:To see a world in a grain of sandAnd a heaven in a wild flower,Hold infinity in the palm of your handAnd eternity in an hour.Perhaps Blake didn’t intend us to literally hold infinity in our hands, but he may have been aware that there was, in a manner of speaking, a way to don the entire known universe.Photo by Ulf Bruxe, Historical Museum/SHMCombining the elegance of gold jewelry with the meticulous craftsmanship of intricate timepieces, a unique style of ring emerged from a fashion for the cosmos during the 16th and 17th centuries. Known as armillary rings, these deceptively simple gold creations can be worn on the finger like any other band, but when removed, they open up into a sphere made of several interconnecting circular bands operated by delicate hinges.Examples of armillary rings in the British Museum and the Swedish National Museums of History have been traced to Germany, made during the Late Renaissance as the study of astronomy reached new heights. In 1543, Copernicus essentially launched the scientific revolution when he claimed that the Earth rotates around the Sun, not the other way around.A few years later, Italian polymath Galileo Galilei, known as a pioneer of observational astronomy, built a telescope powerful enough to, for the first time, observe the stars of the Milky Way, see Jupiter’s four largest satellites, and make out Saturn’s rings, among other discoveries.The historic gold rings are based on ancient astronomical instruments called armillary spheres, which emerged from the long-disproven theory that everything in the cosmos revolved around Earth. The designs, which were used since at least the 2nd century, place our planet at the center. A group of rings rotates on an axis, providing reference points for locating other celestial bodies. Separate bands correlate to the equator, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the revolution of the Sun—a ring which also represents the constellations of the Zodiac.Photo by Nina Davis, Historical Museum/SHMPhoto by Helena Bonnevier, Historical Museum/SHMImage © The Trustees of the British MuseumImage © The Trustees of the British MuseumPhoto by Helena Bonnevier, Historical Museum/SHMDo stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article What Do Astronomy and Jewelry Have in Common? In the Late Renaissance, Look to the Stars appeared first on Colossal.