Them Dwarves, Them Dwarves, Part II - Page 7
© Michael Martinez
If he were alarmed about the loss of the four Rings in the east, Sauron may have seized an opportunity to seize the western Rings in the 28th century. Orcs began invading Eriador around 2740 and by the year 2758 Sauron was ready to launch a massive stroke against Gondor, Rohan, and apparently even Eriador. This was the year the Long Winter began, and Orcs were able to raid as far west as the Shire. It is conceivable that the Dwarves of Ered Luin suffered greatly like other peoples at this time, and their kings may have been drawn out and seized by Orcs. Although purely speculative the timeframe for Sauron's Ring-seizing activities is thus limited to about a century. Tolkien does not say when Sauron took back the Rings of the Nazgul but he probably only received these Rings after his power was more secure, which would have been after the end of the Watchful Peace.
His objectives achieved, or his resources exhausted, Sauron appears to have disregarded Eriador after the Long Winter. There were no more massive incursions of evil things in the northwest and by 2845 he had recovered as many of the Rings of Power as he could have. The misfortunes of the Dwarves were thus coming to their end, and their fortunes (at least those of the Longbeards) began rising again.
I should point out that Sauron may have had another opportunity to seize two of the Dwarven Rings: the War of the Dwarves and Orcs, fought from 2793 to 2799. All seven kindreds mustered armies for the war of vengeance against the Orcs of the Misty Mountains. Although Tolkien doesn't say any of the lords other than Thrain (Durin's Heir, king of the Longbeards) participated directly in the war, it is not impossible that at least two did lead forces to Thrain's aid, and they could have been captured or slain and their bodies taken. If so, Sauron could have recovered the Rings in this fashion.
Despite their decline in the western lands Dwarves continued to travel across Eriador and doubtless through Wilderland, journeying between Ered Luin and Erebor, or Ered Luin and the Iron Mountains, and perhaps travelling further to the eastern lands of the Dwarves. The purposes of these journeys are seldom stated. When Thorin and Thrain settled in the Ered Luin after the War of the Dwarves and Orcs many of the Longbeards heard about their new home and went to join them, so there must have been a steady though small stream of traffic westward.
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