Celebration and a Question

We recently had one special 4th birthday party at our house. Here's how we celebrated:

Homemade decorations


A singular present, long awaited


Flowers picked in the morning by the birthday girl, a photo of the day she came home to us, and a cupcake just dripping with purple frosting


A grandma-made dress with fabric and pattern both specially selected by the birthday girl


Facepainting


A reluctant adventure in NeverNeverLand


Neverland obstacle course in the BLAZING heat

And now for the question. You may notice that, despite our Waldorf inclinations, we do not have a birthday ring tradition in our house. This is partially because I don't understand the birthday ring. I suspect that there is a story to this particular little tradition, perhaps some symbolism that I'm unaware of, but I cannot find this information anywhere. Does anyone know how/when the tradition of the birthday ring was started?