Since I was 12, the ring that I wear on the fourth finger of my right hand has been an integral fashion accessory. There has hardly been a day that I haven’t worn it in the six years since my mom gave it to me in honor of my bat mitzvah. At 12, a girl becomes a woman in Jewish tradition and the ceremony honoring this transition is called a bat mitzvah. This ring, which is gold with a square stone inset, has a long and storied history, making it more than just an accessory. I have tried to determine what type of stone it is but I don’t know for sure (my guess is iolite). Its color varies; in sunlight it often appears green but in fluorescent lighting it appears purple. It was initially my great grandmother’s wedding ring. The austerity of the stone, which is likely lab-made, exemplifies the Great Depression era. A diamond ring was an unrealistic extravagance for a newlywed couple in the poorer neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The ring was passed down from my great grandmother to my aunt (my mom’s sister). My aunt dropped it down the drain at my great aunt’s house as a teenager but my grandma miraculously retrieved it. Somehow my mom inherited it as an adult rather than her sister and that’s how I received it.