Heirloom jewellery (without the legacy)
Signet rings are back in fashion. One is very amused, says Charlie Gowans-eglinton
For such small pieces of jewellery, rings can be very divisive indeed. In modern times, it’s usually engagement rings – diamond size and clarity, and therefore price and success – that spark discussion. The rings causing debate at the moment are rather less blingy, but no less meaningful.
“Signet rings can carry meaning, reminding the wearer of their family, or, in the case of a club or society crest, creating a sense of kinship and belonging, much like a club tie or a pin badge,” says Lucy Hume, co-author of the Debrett’s and Bicester Village Guide to British Style. “They were used historically as a seal with a unique family crest to sign documents.”
If you’re keeping with tradition, you should wear your signet on the little finger of your non-dominant hand. But then, traditionally, signet rings were worn by men – and, while the Prince of Wales is rarely seen without his signet, it’s for women that the latest fashionable incarnations are made.
On Saturday, Dinny Hall, the British jeweller, will release a line of signet rings, in silver (£100) and gold vermeil (£140) that can be engraved with the wearer’s initial in a choice of three fonts – this is heirloom jewellery on a high street budget. Delicately designed, they sit well on even the smallest female fingers. For bigger budgets, a special line in solid gold is available exclusively at Liberty of London.
“Signet rings are becoming modernised in the way the way that they are worn,” says Miranda Williams, accessories buyer at Liberty of London, “but I do think that people still associate them with the idea of a grandparent wearing them, or even some kind of regalness.”
Searches for signet rings are up 38 per cent in the last year on global fashion search platform Lyst, likely due to stylish early adopters of the trend – Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Rosie Huntington-whiteley have all worn signet rings on their little fingers of late (while Diana, Princess of Wales wore one way back in 1988). As the Duchess of Cambridge prepared to marry into the royal family, the Middletons were granted their own crest by the College of Arms; sister Pippa is now rarely seen without a gold signet on her pinky.
“Demand has increased not only for traditional family signet rings but also for individuals wanting to express themselves, either through the use of unusual shaped signets or bespoke, hand-engraved designs,” says Emmet Smith, the founder of Rebus, the Hatton Garden signet specialists, whose latest collection is a play on Winston Churchill’s own ring. “Younger people are buying signet rings as it gives them an opportunity to purchase an item of bespoke jewellery that can either display family heritage or personal sentiment.”
While few of us will have a family crest to recreate, a plethora of beautiful modern options negate the need for one. Daniella Draper’s understated signets may be new, but tiny marks on the metal from the making process lend them an antiquelike uniqueness (solid silver from £115, solid gold from £550). Not that the signet needs to be simple in design. Annina Vogel’s rings tend towards the romantic, and Dover Street Market’s expansive collection includes Dina Kamal’s modernist adaptations, striped signets by Jessica Biales, and intricate engravings by Castro. Jessica de Lotz’s elaborate carvings would make light work of hot wax, or, if glitzy is your bag, look to diamond-encrusted initial rings from Carolina Bucci, the celebrity favourite – assuming you’ve got the budget to match.
‘I do think people associate them with a grandparent wearing them, or a kind of regalness’