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Originally Posted by Flyndaran
I thought the ring grants what the wearer wants/needs the most instinctively.
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No, the explanation given up-thread is correct: it shifts the wearer partly into the spirit-realm if he doesn't already exist there. Men and hobbits don't exist there, and the part of them that interacts with light becomes invisible. They can't see the mortal realm clearly, but they can hear better and they can see things in the spirit-realm.
High Elves and spirits like Valar and Maiar do exist in the spirit-realm, so they won't be shifted to invisibility. Frodo saw Glorfindel's bright spirit-form when he had the Ring on.
The main purpose of the Rings of Power that Sauron created or helped create is to dominate the wills of others. Middle-earth is chock-full of mental powers that can't be seen: the White Council members sit and think to each other on their way back north from Gondor; Gandalf can cast his mind in search of Frodo far away; Sauron actively directs his servants with his will and when his will is taken away they go astray; even Frodo and Gollum instinctively know that if Frodo put on the Ring and commanded Gollum he'd be forced to obey any order.
The Three Elven Rings are different: their purpose is to preserve Middle-earth from time and change. Elrond and Galadriel use theirs to create "timeless" refuges for elves. Gandalf uses his differently: to inspire hearts to resist the Shadow.
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Not being a Tolkien expert, I have no clue if any non-hobbit ever used the ring to disprove my belief.
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Isildur became invisible when he wore the Ring. The Nazgul were invisible because they had become slaves to Sauron through their Rings. It doesn't seem that dwarves became invisible, but the Rings didn't work on dwarves as expected: it only increased their lust for gold.