Was this Qing dynasty abacus ring the world's first wearable technology?

This abacus ring made during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) may have been the world's first wearable technology, used by traders who needed to make quick calculations during the 17th century.

The Zhushan has nine wires, each containing seven beads. Each wire's beads have a different value, meaning that they can be manipulated to create large numbers using only a few beads. For example, to make 155, you would separate five '1' beads on one wire from five '10' beads on another wire, with a single '100' bead on a third wire. 

The beads are far too small to be moved by fingers, but one of the many hairpins worn by a contemporary Chinese woman would have been the perfect tool, ChinaCulture.org explains.

The Chinese abacus is thought to have been invented during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) by the famous mathematician Cheng Dawei. It is still used in classrooms across the world today for its ability to help calculate complex sums in a matter of seconds.

[Image via ChinaCulture.org]