Invisibility

[Thingol]

Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth...They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men...

Rereading this passage the words could walk, if they would, caught my attention. Does this mean that the power of invisibility that the 9 rings conferred was controllable by the bearers of the rings? In addition I had always thought that the 7 dwarven ring conferred invisibility as well, but upon searching for textual evidence I discovered that I could not find any. I know that the power of invisibility was something conceived of by Sauron, and that the 3 elven rings did not confer the power of invisibility. Anyone have any definite information about the 7 dwarven rings conferring invisibility?

[burrahobbit]

Bilbo was also remarkably well-preserved.

[Fingolfin of the Noldor]

The chief power (of all the rings alike) was the prevention or slowing of decay, the preservation of what is desired or loved, or its semblance - this is more or less an Elvish motive. But also they enhanced the natural powers of a possessor - thus approaching 'magic', a motive easily corruptible into evil, a lust for domination. And finally they had other powers, more directly derived from Sauron: such as rendering invisible the material body, and making things of the invisible world visible. -letter 131 The Letters of JRR Tolkien

Here is a good FAQ which provides good quotes from the letters and other sources to common Tolkien questions including a bunch on the Rings of Power:

Scrolls of Orthanc

[ July 18, 2002: Message edited by: Fingolfin of the Noldor ]

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Here is what the Silmarillion has to say about the dwarven rings of power:

Seven rings he (Sauron) gave to the Dwarves... The Dwarves indeed proved tough and hard to tame; they ill endure the domination of others, and the thoughts of their hearts are hard to fathom, nor can they be turned to shadows.

I would assume that the invisibility had something to do with becoming a wraith, which the Dwarves did not. Bilbo probably used the ring too seldom to turn into a wraith and was not really connected to Sauron's power in all those years, since Sauron thought the ring was lost. The Elven rings apparently did not turn the wearer invisible, though they themselves could only be seen by those empowered to do so. (Frodo saw Galadriel's ring, Sam did not.) So did the Dwarven rings have the property of making the wearer invisible? Good question, probably no definite answer...

[O'Boile]

The Dwarven rings could turn you invisible. All the rings could (except possibly the elven ones). The reason the dwarves do not turn invisible is because of their great willpower. That is also why Sauron could not corrupt them like he did with men. All he could do was make the holders of the rings more greedy. It says all this in one of the appendixes or unfinished tails (I'm not sure which). Kind of similar to when Tom Bombadil does not turn invisible. The rings could not dominate dwarves the way they dominate men.

[Aldagrim Proudfoot]

Also, in preserving the decay of the bearer, it "strecthed" them, like Gollum who was not really a wraith, but a... I don't really know how to decsribe him. Bilbo even said, "I feel stretched."