Upon winning her fourth term as Germany’s chancellor last weekend, Angela Merkel stood perched atop a podium to deliver her victory speech. Her hands were positioned as they usually are — in a diamond.

This is the hand position the 63-year-old incumbent, who’s been the leader of one of Europe’s most powerful nations since 2005, is known for. It’s one of the most recognizable gestures in world politics today. (There are even conspiracy theories about it.)