The first specimens of Gravesande's ring were built by Jan van Musschenbroek (1687-1748), who was also the first to spread it throughout Europe.
In 1715, Gravesande met Newton during a visit to London and, two years later, thanks to the latter's good offices, he became a professor at Leyden; there he met Musschenbroek, the instrument-maker, who became Gravesande's assistant and built for him the instruments needed to illustrate his lessons and lectures with experiments.
Gravesande's ring was used throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and, owing to its simplicity of use and effectiveness, is still in use in some schools today.