Constructed from 18 carat gold around a large radiant cut ruby measuring approximately 3/4 of an inch wide and 7/8 of an inch long, this ring has a number of features that suggest it was produced by Herbert Zeitner, top gold and silversmith in Nazi Germany to be worn by Hermann Goering. First rising to prominence as one of Imperial Germany's "Uberkanonen" (ace pilot with 22 kills) during the First World War, Goering became one of Hitler's right hand men in the early 1920's, serving as Chief of the uniformed SA and taking a bullet to the leg during the Munich "Beer Hall Putsch". Evading capture until an amnesty was declared in 1927, he returned to hold one of the NSDAP's seats in the Reichstag, taking on a number of roles in the Party as it rose in power and prestige. Among other actions, he founded the Gestapo, which would later be traded away to Himmler's SS, served as Minister of the Interior of Prussia, and oversaw the creation of the Luftwaffe as well as German rearmament. Like many of the top Nazi men, Goering had a craving for power, and took many steps to expand his portfolio, working his way up to the title of Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich. Unlike some other Nazis, Goering craved the trappings of power and authority almost as much as the power itself; in contrast to the austere yet carefully engineered public appearance of Hitler, Goering draped himself in as much finery as he could, a bewildering array of medals, furs, ornaments, daggers and jewelry, as well as indulging in high class pursuits, hunting in particular. In addition to his other roles in the Nazi power structure, he also positioned himself as the top hunting authority in the Reich, and as the situation degenerated for Nazi Germany as a whole and for Goering and his Luftwaffe in particular he invested more and more of himself into the hunt, retreating from the realities of the imminent loss of the war and the end of the Thousand Year Reich. Each side of the ring shows a raised engraved design, with one side bearing a conjoined "HG" monogram with traditional German-style oak leaf embellishment and the reverse bearing the German Hunter's Association logo, a ribbon marked "DJ" (Deutsche Jaeger Verein) beneath the head of a multi-point stag, a radiant swastika positioned between the antlers, an old symbol of Saint Hubertus, patron saint of hunting, one of many symbols repurposed and defaced by the Nazis. The inside bottom of the band is marked with a small "Z" in a circle, a marking attributed to the goldsmith Professor Zeitner. While positive confirmation of a piece of Goering jewelry can be difficult, a number of pictures of Goering wearing a ring that could be this one survived the Nazi era, and many foreign diplomats who interacted with him felt the need to comment on the large red gemstone he was wearing on his finger, above and beyond all the other decorations he would bear into a high profile meeting.