The 1970s are well remembered for a number of different fads.  The fads of the 1970s included fads like Star Wars action toys, Hula girl dashboard dolls, Pet Rocks, bell bottom pants, hip huggers, and of course, the mood ring.  As a silent way to express one’s mood, the mood ring was first conceived of when its maker saw how a thermo tropic thermometer gauged one’s temperature.

What is the Mood Ring?

The mood ring was precisely that, a ring that people wore that supposedly had the ability to detect one’s mood.  Mood rings were first created by Marvin Wernick.  Mood rings are made in two different and distinct ways. First, some mood rings are made with a hollowed out piece of glass that contains liquid crystals that are thermotropic.  Meanwhile, other mood rings have a curved piece of glass that rests upon a piece of thermotropic material.  The thermotropic material reacts to a person’s body temperature and then displays the person’s mood accordingly.

Mood Ring History

There are disputes pertaining to who actually invented the mood ring. Some people argue that the mood ring was one of those fads made by Marvin Wernick, while there are other arguments that suggest the mood ring was created by Joshua Reynolds.  In truth, Wernick first created the mood ring and Reynolds merely used the invention.  While Reynold’s was at first successful with the mood ring fad and sales, his company eventually faltered because of copycat productions.

For more information about the history of the mood ring and mood ring fads, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mood_ring

How does the Mood Ring Work?

The thermotropic material within the mood ring comes in contact with a person’s skin and the body temperature of the individual causes the thermotropic material to react.  Thermotropic material contains molecules that are extraordinarily sensitive and the body temperature of the individual causes the material to change colors. The ring can detect slight changes in body temperature, and when the body temperature cools a little, again the ring changes colors.  Every color that the mood ring displays means something different.  Mood ring colors vary from one manufacture to the next, but mood ring colors do tend to follow similar themes.  Mood ring colors typically are said to reveal whether a person is happy, calm, nervous, excited or stressed.

For more information about how the mood ring works, visit How Stuff Works at:
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question443.htm