The golden building set on the hoop of this ring is inscribed 'mazal tov' (good fortune) and shows that this was a Jewish marriage ring. A Jewish wedding consists of the signing of a marriage contract (ketubah) and the gift of a token, generally a ring. The ring was generally worn only during the ceremony and is often made in the form of a miniature building, signifying the new household as well as the Temple in Jerusalem. Traditionally, the ring had to belong to the groom and to be made of a precious metal not set with any gemstones.

The earliest surviving Jewish wedding rings were found in the medieval treasure hoards of Erfurt in Germany and Colmar in France. The description of a wedding in 1400 by rabbi Jakob hal Lewi Mölln (or Mishagin) made the importance of the ring clear: 'After the blessing, the rabbi called two witnesses. He showed them the wedding ring and made them bear witness that it was worth at least a heller. Then he enjoined them to make sure that the groom fulfilled his marriage vow by saying the words 'By this ring let thou be given to me by the laws of Moses and of Israel'. He then put the ring on the bride's finger next to the thumb.'

The sides of the little building on the ring hoop are set with open arcades. Some wedding rings of this type held a small gold ball or piece of sheet metal which would have made a rattling sound when the hand was moved.

This ring forms part of a collection of over 600 rings and engraved gems from the collection of Edmund Waterton (1830-81). Waterton was one of the foremost ring collectors of the nineteenth century and was the author of several articles on rings, a book on English devotion to the Virgin Mary and an unfinished catalogue of his collection (the manuscript is now the National Art Library). Waterton was noted for his extravagance and financial troubles caused him to place his collection in pawn with the London jeweller Robert Phillips. When he was unable to repay the loan, Phillips offered to sell the collection to the Museum and it was acquired in 1871. A small group of rings which Waterton had held back were acquired in 1899.