Shield Proficiency, Forge Ring
Shield Proficiency, because I hate protecting myself. And because if you're going to be using a shield, chances are you're a melee character anyway.
Doh, boo two votes, boo. I'm going to go with Forge Ring, since you mentioned it. Although I don't like the Item Crafting feats as they are. I'm sure I'll end up helping out with the metamagics as well, simply because I hate the idea that you need to pay twice (feat, level adjustment) for metamagic.
I promise next time I'll vote for something that I don't think had been voted for yet, and give better reasons than being a sheep. Well, being a sheep is part of the reason though...