Have you ever felt culturally connected to a personal possession? For example, my special artifact is my claddagh ring. To illustrate, this piece of jewelry is extremely important to me and helps me relate to my distinctive ethnicity. In my opinion, this band has a meaningful representation. In fact, the hands signify friendship, the heart for love and the crown represents loyalty. Overall, the meaning is “let love and friendship reign forever”. Surprisingly, dating back to over 300 years ago, it originates from a small fishing town in Ireland named Claddagh. On the other hand, my grandmother purchases these exact rings for every granddaughter on their 16th birthday. Being Irish, it's encouraged and popular to wear this ring on one's wedding day to bring good luck. Eventually, Irish mothers pass their rings down to their daughters. While worn, it’s used to tell others your relationship status. For the most part, women wear it on their right hand facing away to show they’re single but open to finding love. However, when it’s worn on one's left hand facing in, the person is married or their heart is taken. Ultimately, I’m very proud to be Irish and this traditional ring is important to me due to it’s fascinating and unique backstory. To summarize, I’m able to wear this symbol of my Irish heritage and connect to my family's history.

– Caroline Walker

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