Once the old-fashioned preserve of aristocrats and gangsters, these traditional bands are suddenly in vogue – especially among young trendsetters
RIDING THE CREST OF POWER
Prince William in April 2011. So too is her mum Carole.
Model Lady Isabella Hervey fits the aristo image of a signet ring wearer, but Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica-Parker has shown she is on trend by sporting one.
Searches for signet rings online have increased more than 38 per cent in the last few years and a number of jewellers have begun offering signet rings made to customers’ own designs.
Guy Burton, director of Hancocks London, one of Mayfair’s oldest family-run firms, which has just launched a bespoke signet ring website in response to demand, said: “We have been making signet rings since 1849 so we know what we are doing, but we have seen a real resurgence of interest over the past couple of years - and it’s not just the domain of men any more.
“Demand is coming from young women too.We’re often asked what’s driving demand. It’s a number of factors. People have become interested in family genealogy and there’s been a lot of coverage about silver and gold being recession-proof. Put those together and a signet ring is something unique, will hold its value well and can be worn with anything.
“They’re a classic accessory but one that always looks stylish.”
Daily Express fashion editor Antonia Kraskowski said: “Long the preserve of landed gentry, signet rings have recently made a comeback. Most purchasers won’t have a family crest but brands have started to sell customisable rings with initials as a way for younger generations to buy into the trend.”
The message is clear. You don’t have to be a document-stamping nobleman any more to make your mark in the world. EVIDENCE of “seal rings” has been found as far back as the 4th century BC in Ancient Egypt and the Roman empire.
In the 14th century Edward II ordered that all legal documents should be stamped with his signet ring, and in the Victorian era the mark of a signet ring was a legal requirement on many documents.
The word “signet” is a derived from the Latin word “signe” and the old French word “signette”, meaning a small seal.
In the most traditional forms, the design is cut beneath the surface of the gold or silver ring and “seal engraved” – whereby the image and lettering are cut deeply and in reverse (back to front).
So when the ring is pressed into a wax seal, the resulting impression reveals the correct image.
They were usually reserved for noblemen of high-ranking families and the families would often pass the ring on to the next in line as the power was transferred to the following generation.
But they might choose to destroy the ring if it denoted a single person rather than the entire family, since use of the seal after the owner’s death could cause legal risks.
In the 18th and 19th century, people had family crests made when they came into money and having it engraved into a signet ring was a sign of what they had achieved.
The most famous signet still in legal use is part of the Pope’s official regalia, pictured above.
The “Ring of the Fisherman” depicts St Peter – who was a fisherman on Lake Galilee before he became a leader of the early church, indeed the first Pope.
A new ring bearing this signet is cast for each new Pope and is destroyed on their death.