Ring of Adamant

One of the Three Rings of the Elves, the Ring of Adamant was the last of the Three to be forged and, at least according to some sources,¹ the greatest of the Elven-rings. It took the name 'Ring of Adamant' from the gemstone it bore ('adamant' being an old word for 'diamond'): in the same mode, the other two Rings were the Ring of Sapphire and the Ring of Ruby (though the latter term is not in fact recorded). The Elvish name of the Ring of Adamant was Nenya, the Ring of Water, and it was also known as the White Ring.

The Ring of Adamant was formed as a band of mithril,² set with a single diamond that was said to shine like the Evening Star. It was made by the Mírdain of Eregion at the height of their powers, using knowledge they had gained from Sauron but untouched by him. When Sauron's plot to use the Rings of Power against the Elves was revealed, each of the Three Rings was sent into hiding. The Ring of Adamant was passed to Galadriel, who was dwelling in Lórien beyond the Misty Mountains. From that time - dated II 1693 in the Tale of Years - Galadriel bore the Ring of Adamant in secret until the end of the Third Age.

While Sauron held the One Ring, the Three Rings could not be used, but when he fell in the War of the Last Alliance, Galadriel was able to employ the powers of the Ring of Adamant. One of the chief among these was the power to delay the passing of time, and so Galadriel's land of Lórien became a place that held the glory of ancient times before the onset of the Fading Years of the Elves. The Ring also had some ability to ward off the creatures of the Enemy, though the nature of this ability is unclear. It is also unclear whether, like the One Ring, the Ring of Adamant granted invisibility to its wearer. The Ring itself could not normally be seen, but we have no accounts of Galadriel using her Ring to become invisible.

By the power of the Ring of Adamant, Galadriel was able to protect the land of Lórien and preserve its beauty, so that it lasted through to the end of the War of the Ring. In that War, the One Ring was destroyed, and the Ring of Adamant also lost its power. At that time Galadriel had borne the Ring for nearly five thousand years, and it is said that her use of it over the centuries had increased her longing for the Sea. At the end of the Third Age she joined the other Keepers of the Three Rings, Elrond and Gandalf, and boarded a ship into the West. Thus the Ring of Adamant, with the other two Rings of the Elves, was carried away from Middle-earth forever.