[lindil]

Found this link via the current theme.

imo - Sauruman's ring will likely remain a mystrery barring additional info. Seculation on my part would be that he wished to make a "one ring" himself, but failed due to
1] lack of knowledge much of sauron's skill was probably from morgoth as well as Aule. the Bauglir being a source and 'inspiration' sauruman did not have . [M.]
2] lack of power [he would need more than Sauron]
3] As M-E itself and the races therein ages artifacts of power seem to be progressivly weaker than artifacts created in prior ages.

#2 especially could have been his undoing, w/ Sauron.
In attempting to replecate and supersed sauron's Ring Powers, he probably opened himself to Sauron'es 'wavelength'. This assumes he attempted to create a Ring of power prior to being 'caught ' in the palantir.

another theory I have is that his ring may have had limited but specific uses , such as sheilding his activities and mind from the osanwe of the other ring bearers.

as re: the Staff question, I think it was a device of the Order of Wizards and that the Maiar who enrolled [ or were drafted] put a large part of their power therein - why else Sauruman's weakening. - unless gandalf's breaking of his staff was symbolic of something that had already happened on a spritual plane.

Why they would need to place much of their power therein i do not know, perhaps as a visible reminder that they were themselves outside their natural state - just as some of their power was. Perhaps it was a focusiong device, although none of the OPther maia in M-E seem to need it [Melian, Sauron, balrogs].

Perhaps also it contained an augmentation or charisma bestowed by Manwe and or Eru himself for the working of their tasks.

Sauruman's saying that Gandalf desired the 5 Istari's staff's indicate's [it seems to me] that they were much more than symbolic.

-lindil