The Mishna Brurah 161:19 writes that women who are makpid to take off her ring before doing work holds she needs to take it off before washing.He then writes but men who don’t take their rings off don’t have to since they leave them on unless it has an expensive stone which he would take off.From here it seems like it was normal to wear a ring.
Regarding wearing jewelry in a reshus harabim see Tosfos and the halacha lmaaseh very surprising.