A usual thimble looks like a cup, worn on the top of a finger and used to push a needle when sewing.
A Japanese thimble looks like a ring. It is worn usually on the middle knuckle of the middle finger of a working hand. At first, it was just a strip of leather or dense fabric wrapped around the finger and secured with some stitches. As Japanese put a great weigh on the esthetics of everyday life, they soon began to decorate yubinuki with elaborate geometric patterns.
As many other Japanese handicrafts this one was reborn in the second part of the XX century. Now it is well known all over the world. As expected, yubinuki are now not only thimbles. People wear them just as rings; use them as a stand for temari or as beads for making accessories. Yubinuki patterns are often used for decorating temari’s obi.
I could not withstand the desire of making yubinuki myself. The bracelet (on the main photo) was made for a friend. And temari stand.