CLADDAGH RING. Buffyverse.

For her seventeenth birthday in "Surprise," Angel gives Buffy a Claddagh [klah – dah] ring.

The Claddagh ring is a symbol of love and devotion that has been associated with Angel’s birthplace in Galway, Ireland for over 400 years.

The design features two joined hands holding a heart upon which sits a crown. The hands symbolize friendship and faith, the heart is for love, and the crown represents loyalty.

When the ring is worn on the right hand with the heart pointing outward, it signifies that the wearer’s heart is free, but when the heart is pointing inward, he or she is spoken for. When worn on the left hand with the heart pointed inward, it means that love has been pledged.

Buffy wore her ring on her left hand.

--Janice Chan