I love cocktail rings. I love them for their color, their flair, their drama... I love them because they are just so very much fun! I find that as I get older my fashion sense gets a bit bolder. Perhaps I am less reserved than I was in my youth. Perhaps I am more confident. Perhaps I simply don't care! But I have noticed that over the past few years, my necklaces, earrings and rings have all grown in size. Is this what all older people do? Not that I'm getting old, but my grandmother always big, bold and beautiful pieces. She was petite in stature, but her presence was large, indeed! I have very vivid memories of her beautiful pieces of jewelry, specifically her rings.

I am quite certain that my fashion sense and fondness for all things bright, bold, dramatic and whimsical come from my grandmother.

I wear my cocktail rings a lot. All the time, actually. Some of these were my grandmother's; some newly acquired for just a few dollars. The lady bug was a recent purchase from my local Lilly Pulitzer store, A Splash of Pink. The owl (I just love that owl, don't you?!) came from Island Outfitters last summer. The fun ring with the light blue stones came from Ann Taylor Loft. None of these rings cost more than $30. It used to be that cocktail rings all contained large precious stones. Luckily for all us stylish girls this is no longer the case!

There's a little bit of American history behind the cocktail ring that's now back in fashion and seen everywhere at all price points.

The Prohibition Era also known as the Roaring Twenties, the Gilded Era, or the Jazz Age lasted into the early 1930s. In fact this era of post-war exuberance was fueled by the prohibition of alcohol. During this era parties were lavish and opulent. We think of flappers, their dresses, long cigarette holders. We think of alcohol that was consumed secretly at these private and lavish parties. We think of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway and the fabulous music by George Gershwin, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Art Deco became all the rage as an art form and influenced fashion, decor and architecture. World War 1 had ended and the decade was a celebratory one. Such parties were hosted by and attended by some of the wealthiest and most elite of American society. These society women wore their largest, grandest rings as they joyously held on to their illegal cocktails. And so, the cocktail ring was born! These over-sized, lavish rings were always made of precious and semi-precious stones. Now, thank goodness, we can get away with fabulous faux!