In performance:

The book may be opened and pages flipped through...the bookmark placed, the story referred to.  The box and ring may be displayed and handled.  The box is then left open and the chosen spectator is given the choice...take the ring and conceal it, closing the box, or leave the ring within the box and as before, close the box.  The box does not need to be relocked, simply closed.  The decision is made by the spectator and the ring removed or left behind all with the performer’s back to the happenings.  Then, once the task has been carried out, the performer turns back around to face the spectator and, using his mental powers, discerns the location of the ring be it within the box or with the spectator...and with that, the question of the moral ethics of the chosen individual...what might they do with such power, should that power work for them?

 

Please note: just if you are wondering...the affects of the ring (as described by Plato) may not be instantanious.  There are numerous sites on the internet where information may be found regarding the story as told by Plato.

 

You as the performer will learn how to determine whether the ring has been taken or left behind.  This does not require the use of stooges, audience plants, mirrors, or cameras...there is no one giving the performer a special signal or cluing him in.  The ring is taken or left behind all with the performer's back turned and the ring out of his view.  The performer needs not to even return to the table where the box rests...no handling of the box is required.

 

Varrying performance routines will be included in the instuction manual, including suggestions on methods that change the odds against your detection, however, you will always know.  One method will utilize the upcoiming release of "Fors" where once ethical choice has been  tested,  it can be removed from the equation, leaving a random individual out of several selected, to take the ring...and you will know which of the chosen spectators has done so. 

 

The Ring of Gyges (pronounced jī'jēz), is kept under lock and key in a beautifull Mooreni box created from exotic African Padauk.  Each Ring of Gyges is hand-crafted in the Mooreni Studio from the finest materials to be found. Great care is given to even the smallest of detail. Each piece of wood is hand selected for quality and grain, then precisely measured and cut to create the required elements. Boxes are hand sanded utilizing a unique method which takes the wood to an incredibly high quality finish, yet not a gloss. Then multiple hand rubbed applications of finish are applied, bringing out the natural qualities in the wood and leaving the finished product as you would expect a well cared for antique should be.  The box is exquisitely lined in black velvet to add elegance and provide protection for the precious ring inside.  Hand-aged brass hardware adorn the box and include a beautiful lid stop assembly that creates a wonderful click-clack sound when the box is opened.  Every Mooreni created piece is a work of art...even the elements no one else will see or handle but you!  The box is fully examinable and beautiful to behold.  The ring itself is gold in color with s slight satin finish, and has a nice weight to it.  Included is a copy of Plato’s “The Republic”.  This is an Everyman’s Library edition that comes with a ribbon bookmark that can be placed by you at any desired page within the book (the story of the ring in the actual book can be found in chapter "Book II", page 35, so perhaps you may want to place the bookmark there).

 

 

Special thanks to Dr. Todd Landman for his assistance with this project and contributions to the instruction and performance manual.