A ring tattoo on a finger is a sure sign that its wearer is directly related to the criminal world and served a sentence in closed correctional institutions. The meaning of the tattoo depends on what exactly is depicted on it. The number of rings on the fingers may vary. Sometimes, several of them are stuffed on one finger.
History of tattoos
The tattoo is a crime classic. It acts as a business card for its owner and can tell a lot about him. A tattoo of this type was of great importance in the criminal world in the 40-50s of the last century. The image of such a tattoo was largely determined by the hierarchical position of its wearer in the criminal world. When transferred from one prison or zone to another, the prisoner's status could be immediately determined.
Personal pieces could be added to any form of image. The ringers of that time were required to know all the semantic meanings of the signs and their combinations. The tattoo was supposed to tell as much as possible about its wearer to people who understood its meaning. If previously pricking a ring was obligatory for every prisoner, now this requirement is not observed by all prisoners.
Over time, the original meaning of a ring tattoo on a finger has lost its relevance, but its popularity is still high among criminals. For people far from the criminal world, such tattoos are extremely rare. Currently, not only men, but also women with a criminal past get tattoos of rings on their fingers. Thus, they want to emphasize their belonging to the criminal world.
A large role in the classification of tattoos on the fingers of prison rings belongs to Arkady Bronnikov. In the 60-80s of the last century, he created an archive of tattoos of prisoners, which became the most complete. He collected his archival material by talking with experienced prisoners who had a certain status in the criminal hierarchy.
Where can I get a tattoo with a ring?
There are a huge number of opportunities to get such a tattoo, but it is worth remembering that now they are done by tattoo artists, not tattoo artists. This means that they do not know about the true meaning of such tattoos and will not be able to help you choose. If you know the meaning of the tattoo you want to get and add the appropriate meaning to it. There's just a little bit left to do. You need to find a good tattoo parlor. Remember that a good salon should have the appropriate equipment and an experienced technician. It must have good reviews and positive recommendations. Then the tattoo will be done efficiently and professionally.
The meaning of a tattoo on the zone
The tattoo on the finger in the form of a ring is very informative. Looking at it, you can learn a lot about its wearer. The tattoo design contains encrypted information about a person that any caregiver can understand. Using it, you can determine under what article the person was serving his sentence, in the zones with what regime of detention he was imprisoned, and even how he behaved there.
Each tattoo is part of the overall story about a person’s prison life. It symbolizes the strength of the authority of its bearer, his criminal experience and outlook on life. It is also important which finger the ring was placed on. For example, those who are dissatisfied with the sentence imposed by the court get a tattoo on their ring finger.
A ring on the index finger indicates that the person has a criminal record. It is made in the form of a diamond, the upper right and lower left parts of which are painted over. Such a tattoo contains information about a person’s position in the criminal hierarchy, his behavioral attitudes, life priorities and values.
In most cases, several different tattoos are made on the phalanges of the fingers at once. From them you can learn a lot about the fate of a person. For example, a ring in the form of a lattice with a crown indicates that the person sat in the famous Crosses. Such a tattoo is considered very important in a criminal environment. It is done on the phalanx of the middle finger. This is also where crime bosses place their crown tattoos.
A tattoo in the form of a filled rectangle or square divided by a light diagonal stripe indicates that the person was in a zone for juvenile delinquents.
Rings are tattooed on fingers for a reason. They must be earned. In some cases, they are done against a person's wishes in the form of forced branding.
Rings on the fingers of men can be seen much more often than on women. The latter have their own special types of tattoos. The meaning of rings on men's fingers is somewhat different from women's tattoos. The most popular among women is the “Alone in a Circle of Thieves” tattoo. She says that her bearer served time for hooliganism.
What is the meaning of a ring tattoo?
If we talk about the meaning of such tattoos for ordinary, imprisoned people, then of course everyone considers this a mandatory indicator of criminals.
For example, the number of such rings indicates the number of convictions. In addition, from their drawing you can find out what crime the person was imprisoned for, at what age, the regime of punishment under which he was imprisoned and his relationship in the zone. For the specificity of the designation, the drawing itself, its color, location and symbols are important. In addition, there are, so to speak, common rings that each of those who served time can “wear,” and some can be “stamped” for special merits, and there are those that are made forcibly.
Look at the designs for the ring tattoo.
Simple conclusions
Why do you need to know what the tattoos of thieves in law look like? Photos of such drawings should definitely be viewed by anyone who wants to get a tattoo in the ordinary world (not the criminal world). After all, if you miscalculate and draw a special drawing, you can pay for it. Sometimes even life. After all, the tattoos on the bodies of criminals and thieves in law are not of decoration, but of special information. If the symbol of prisoners is worn by a person who has not seen the zone, this could end very badly. And it is very, very easy for a knowledgeable person to unravel the “malingerer”.
Various drawings
I would like to consider other tattoos of thieves in law that were not mentioned above.
- Cathedral or church with domes. This means that the person visited the zone. The number of domes is the number of walkers.
- Spider in the web. This means that a person spent most of his life in the zone. If the tattoo is applied to the left side of the neck, it means “the regime was pressing.” A spider without a web illustrates the snapper. That is, a petty pickpocket.
- A beetle that crawls upward also denotes a pickpocket.
- Two tulips applied to a brush mean that a person will take revenge.
- Sailboat has several meanings. First of all, it designates those people who can escape. They also illustrate touring thieves.
- The butterfly is applied to the body by those who want to escape and want to get to freedom as soon as possible.
- A knife that pierces cards or a book is despising. That is, those who do not want to make peace are repeat offenders.
- The grave is a symbol of revenge.
- Persons convicted of rape may have a heart topped with a crown or other similar tattoos on the body of a lion tormenting a naked woman.
Stars
The star is another tattoo of the thief in law. And authoritative. Such drawings are most often located under the collarbones or on the knees (which indicates that the prisoner does not kneel in front of anyone). It should also be noted that prisoners with such tattoos cannot ask for a reduction in their sentence. They also never cooperate with law enforcement officials.
- Star tattoos of thieves in law with eight vertices mean denied. If a skull or swastika is also drawn in such a star, then such people consider themselves free from birth (regardless of the fact that they are currently imprisoned). If such a star has a radiance, this person solves all problems by force.
- If the face of Jesus is depicted inside the star, such a design is applied only to the godfathers.
- If the prisoner is a Muslim, he can draw knives or a crescent moon in the center of the star. This will mean "death to all apostates of the Muslim faith."
- If a seven-pointed star is drawn on the body, this may mean that a person only wants to be like a thief in law, without actually being one. This is the so-called priblatnaya drawing.
Types of rings
Each line and point gives certain characteristics. It is impossible to describe all the options for tattoos with a ring, so we will consider only the most popular of them:
- The man is a symbol of imprisoned people who do not have a special status and proper position in the prison world.
- Denied - a symbol of those who refuse to cooperate with people representing the interests of the authorities.
- We are convicted of hooliganism - this drawing resembles peak power inverted.
- The suit of the cross in the ring is a symbol of a thief.
- Crossing and lance together means wasted youth, a long-term criminal record at a young age.
- A snake with a knife is a sentence for murder.
- X – term for robbery.
- A cross with a skull on a ring means a conviction for robbery.
- Black ring - serving a full sentence.
- Six dots and the number 6 are a criminal who is subordinate to the rest of the prisoners.
- Rounded crosses with dots are symbols representing the number of escapes or their attempts.
- In the footsteps of the father - a tattoo, which is performed if the father also served a prison sentence.
- Memory of parents - this drawing is performed only by those prisoners who have lost their parents while serving their sentence.
- A ring with the letter A is a sign of deniers who, under no circumstances, agree to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
A tattoo with the image of a ring carries a very serious meaning, which not all people understand, so you should be very careful when applying such a sketch.
