Other forms: claddaghs
A claddagh is a traditional Irish symbol representing love, loyalty, and friendship. The design of a claddagh consists of two hands holding a crowned heart.
The heart of the claddagh represents love; the crown represent loyalty; and the hands represent friendship. The design is most commonly seen in jewelry, especially rings used to represent romantic relationships. The way a person wears the ring — including on which hand and finger and in what direction (inward or outward) the heart is facing — indicates the person's relationship status. The claddagh design comes from an old fishing village, Claddagh, just outside of Galway. It dates back to the 1600s.