  We study formation and stabilization of vortex rings in atomic Bose-Einstein
condensates. We suggest a novel approach for generating and trapping of vortex
rings by 'optical tweezers'--two blue-detuned optical beams forming a toroidal
void in the bulk of a magnetically or optically confined condensate cloud. We
demonstrate that matter-wave vortex rings trapped within the void are
energetically and dynamically stable. Our theoretical findings suggest the
possibility for generation, stabilization, and nondestructive manipulation of
quantized vortex rings in experimentally feasible trapping configurations.
