Ring with figure of seated cat. 18th Dynasty, ca. 1390 BC. Egyptian faience. Art Institute of Chicago.
https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141240/ring-figure-of-seated-cat
The most ancient rings found to date belong to the Paleolithic period and come from the site of Pavlov in the Czech Republic. They are made of mammoth bone and are 21,000 years old. One theory is that in the beginning rings were used as an exchange unit, with easy and secure “storage” on the fingers.