1970 Mood Rings

Thankfully, the fads that disappeared after 1979 included bell-bottoms, leisure suits and pet rocks. Later generations weren't able to find any use for these one-time crazes.

Individual Style RuledSelf-expression and individual style ruled in the Seventies. With the shift in the social climate came a shift in fashion and culture. Hippie style, which started in the Sixties, was still very prevalent. Yet no one-look dominated or defined the era. Perhaps Seventies styles lacked staying power because it didn't conjure up powerful memories and connections to the past.

Iconic Items LastThe mood ring was another story. The rings were made from quartz with liquid crystals inside. The crystals reacted to varying body temperatures by changing colors. Body temperatures rise and fall in relation to stress and happiness. The colors of a mood ring were supposedly directly connected to the wearer's mood. Is it any wonder that moods would have fluctuated in the Seventies? The decade was full of contradictions.

Soft rock was a hit but so was disco.

David Bowie was famous as was his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Saturday Night Fever popularized flashy white suits and disco dresses while Annie Hall created an androgynous look.

Environmentalist became active and the nation faced an oil crisis.

1970 Mood Rings InterpretedLife was full of extremes in the Seventies and so were people's moods. The 1970 mood ring claimed to track the mood of the wearer. Colors were commonly interpreted as follows:

Black meant the wearer was tense, stressed and unhappy.

Gray symbolized anxiety and nervousness.

Dark blue stood for love and intense passion.

Light blue meant the wearer was happy and relaxed.

Green showed up on mellow people's fingers.

Yellow was thoughtful.

White rings meant the owner was bored. In today's rapidly changing world, mood rings serve two purposes. First, they can act as personal barometers while people navigate rapid changes brought on by new technologies, the growth of the Internet and a global economy. Second, they can provide a little whimsy and kitsch when life gets too serious.

Jewelry has always been a great and easy way to change an outfit and set a tone. Sparkling stones can dress up an ordinary outfit. Pearls make a dress more formal. Colored beads can make a look more casual. Mood rings can make people smile, be a conversation starter and look stylish all at the same time.

Even if the ring doesn't change color anymore, it can still function as a great vintage piece and transform an ordinary look into a more personal one. Other vintage options from the Seventies are blue star sapphire rings and silver rings set with turquoise or opals. These rings usually range in price from $65 to $275. A mood ring is a much more economical, and interesting, choice. If you are lucky enough to find an original mood ring from years ago, well then, put the Bee Gees on your I Pod, toss on a poncho and give yourself permission to be moody.