The signet ring is as singular as an engagement ring or a wedding band. It is predominantly worn by men and normally on the non-dominant left hand pinky finger. It is meant to be both noticeable and modest, a corruption not dissimilar to the austerity of royalty though without the middle finger vigour of the papal ring for kissing.
Originating from the Latin word “signum” meaning “sign”, signet rings originated amongst religious leaders and Pharaohs. These rings were used to mark and seal documents by pressing the face which were historically marked with a unique family crest, into hot wax.
Signet rings were not just like signatures, but were so personal to the individual that they could be considered fingerprints. It used to be that when you passed away, the ring was destroyed with you so that no one else could use your fingerprint. They were also taken in battle from a deceased enemy as evidence of victory.
Signet rings were one of the most ancient forms of personalized jewelry. A metalsmith could carve or inlay anything on the raised, flat surface called a “bezel.” This is called an “intaglio” design. Historically signet rings had a wide variety of uses including verifying the identity of the wearer and authenticating important documents.
This echoes not only the era of heraldic crests but also a time when reading and writing were considered effeminate or confined to lawyers and religious orders. It is for example the same period from which derives the contract of indentured servitude whereby the lawyer completed identical copies of the contract each of which was signed by both parties with an “X” above his name. The two contracts were then aligned together, folded and the top perimeter cut so that when opened there were matching indents along the top of both as evidence of uniformity in the event of subsequent conflict. Of course the feudal lord may have employed sealing wax and a signet ring (with reversed embossing) to signify his approval.
The origins of the signet ring date back to as long ago as 3500 BC when cylindrical seals were used in Mesopotamia as a mark of authenticity. The ancient Egyptians attached the seal to a ring, and Pharaohs and important dignitaries would wear them as a sign of their authority. During the Minoan period most signet rings were made of soft stones or ivory, but by 1500 BC they were created from harder stones, and with the advent of the Bronze Age, the rings started to be made in metal and become recognisable as the signet rings we know today.
The Greeks, the Cretans and later the Romans began to produce beautiful examples for rich and poor alike. Among the Greeks, signets were worn by nearly everyone, so much so that in Sparta a law was passed forbidding any metal more valuable than iron being used in their manufacture. But in other parts of Greece there was no restriction, and precious and semi-precious stones – Sards, Chalcedonies, Onyx, Agate, Sapphire, Amethyst, Emerald and many others – were used in conjunction with gold and silver to make signets and portrait intaglios. Many of these were exported to Rome, and largely copied in that city.
From the second century AD down to the Middle Ages there is a dearth of rings of all sorts. Early British and Saxon are rare, heavy and in most cases unsuitable to wear. But in the 14thcentury the signet became of real importance in religious, political, legal and private matters. Great episcopal rings were solemnly conferred on appointed bishops, papal rings were given by Popes to newly made cardinals. The fashion spread to knights, squires and even men at arms.
People not entitled to a coat of arms used massive rings in gold and silver with their initials cut into the bezel, with a knot of flowers or foliage entwining the letters. The most practical signet rings of the time had a rotating bezel, which allowed the wearer to rotate the seal towards his finger when not being used.