Warren Buffett calls gold "just about the last thing" he'd want to own, and by his own logic, he's not wrong. He prefers assets that produce – a farm, a business, an index fund – and Gold yields nothing.

But across South Asia, West Africa, and the Middle East, women have held gold for centuries for a reason that has nothing to do with growth: not what will this become, but what stays mine no matter what else fails.

For generations, women have been told to set aside a little money, just in case. But what if “something for yourself” can become more than an emergency plan?