Conjuring Credits

The Origins of Wonder

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Ring on Cord (Tied to Wrists) a.k.a. The Slave Bangle

An early version of this trick, titled “The Spiritual Ring Test”, appears in W. H. J. Shaw's Magic Up to Date, 1896, p. 3. Shaw dresses the effect in the trappings of a spirit phenomenon. No cord is involved. A ring is seemingly made to penetrate onto a spectator's wrist while his hand is firmly grasped by the magician.

Will Avis describes the trick as it has been done ever since—the ring penetrating onto a cord, the ends of which are tied to the magician's wrists—in his “Tricks for All” column in Will Goldston's The Magician, Vol. 5 No. 4, Mar. 1909, p. 43. It is unclear if all the tricks presented in his column were claimed as original, but it seems so. Avis does offer a nice touch, by using a clear glass bracelet.

Dr. James William Elliot published his “Improved Examined Ring on Cord” in Elliott's Last Legacy, 1923, p. 265.