The Claddagh design dates back to the early 16th Century when an Irish man, Richard Joyce of Galway, designed a distinctive ring for his true love. A week before his marriage he was out fishing and his boat overturned and he was captured by pirates. He was sold into slavery to a Moorish goldsmith where he was held for twenty years. When he was finally released from slavery he returned to Ireland and discovered that his true love had waited for him. Richard Joyce designed the Claddagh to honor their love.