I’m going to take a stab at this. I am fairly new to the Tolkien Culture, so feel free to correct me if I’ve taken too many liberties.
All references used are from the Silm
Review of Rings
Of Men - I'm assuming we all know what happened to the nine...
Of the Dwarves - From the Silm...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. The used their rings only for getting wealth; but wrath and an overmastering... (Sauron did recover 3, but 4 were consumed by fire of dragons).
The Elven Rings of Power
They are not really immortal in ME; they eventually "fade." They must return to Valinor to stay to live forever. Unlike the other Rings the Three gave power to build, understand and heal, not to control and conquer... The Elven rings were made so the elves could stay in ME longer. The elves did want to stay in ME and Sauron assisted them in this by guiding them in making the rings. They were forged without Sauron's assistance, and thus his taint was not directly on them. However, Sauron was not as altruistic as some of the elves thought. His real plan was to control the first-born.
From the SIlm...and all the Elven-rings Sauron most desired to possess them, for those who had them in their keeping could ward off the decays of time and postpone the weariness of the world (therefore almost stopping time) Sauron knew that to rule over the elves he needed to make the One Ring. But there was a bit of a “trade-off.” Sauron would put the essence of himself to make a powerful ring in order to have to have "surpasing potency..." over the elven rings. When he wore the One Ring the work and wearers of the others would be revealed and governed by him. The elves however were aware of him as soon as he put it on. They took off their rings and hid them with the Wise.
As long as the One Ring was lost and Sauron could not possibly get it, then they could stay and use their rings...only with caution... Perhaps that is way the elves tended to stay in isolated geographical areas.
But the One Ring was discovered and the news of Sauron taking form again puts the elves back into their predicament of old… and the realization that they have been living on “borrowed time.”
The One Ring has the very essence of Sauron, which meant that
(1) he could take form again if his “essence” was returned to him
(2) then have the ability to could control works and wearers of the rings,
(3) If the One Ring was destroyed the Three Rings would become powerless (or so it was thought…) and the things made by them would be fade...or fail (Rivendell, Lothlorien).
(4) no matter what the elves were doomed to leave ME and they (and their works) would fade.
LovesBeren (Sarah)null
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