Of all the many types of jewellery we work with, help to adjust, revamp or outright design from scratch, signet rings are amongst the most fascinating because they have such contradictory perceptions.
Despite being inherently designed to be personalised, signet rings are often shackled to history with a degree of rigidity in how they are designed. In part this is a relic of their original purpose to act as a signature, requiring a relatively simple surface to press into wax.
This is thankfully beginning to change, however. The 2020s is the decade of the signet ring revival, with so many ways in which you can create a ring that tells your personal story, not that of your family crest.
There are countless ways to design around the signet ring concept, but here are some of our favourite tweaks you can make to truly make a signet ring your own.
Does A Signet Ring Need To Look Polished And Perfect?
Most signet rings are made of gold that is polished to perfection not only for its own sake but also to provide the optimal surface to carve your crest seal into. However, you do not necessarily need your ring to be smooth and polished all over.
Some jewellery does not shy away from the processes used to make it but embraces every scratch, every metalworking technique and every beautiful blemish to create something which tells a story in the way only gothic artefacts truly can.
If you have a particular finish you would like to see with your signet ring, ask whether it would work, because the chances are far more likely than not that it will.
Can You Have Gemstones In Your Signet Ring?
You absolutely can have gems in your signet ring; it is not a matter of having to choose either a crest or precious stones. What is more important is their location on your ring.
If they are being used as accent stones, on the pave, the channel or on the band, you have a lot of scope to choose stones the same way you would for any other piece of custom jewellery.
Can You Have Gemstones On The Face Of A Signet Ring?
Where it becomes complicated is the actual seal surface itself, and whilst you absolutely can, there are a few compromises that need to be made from both a design and a practicality standpoint.
If you want the gemstone to cover the whole surface you intend to carve the seal into, that can work fine in the hands of a skilled jeweller. Historically, these were known as intaglio rings and in Ancient Rome they found use as signet rings.
If you want to set a gemstone into the flat part of a signet ring, and then carve around it, this is possible, but it may be far less useful as a functional signet ring, and you would need to decide whether it would be better to have a decorative carving alongside the gemstone.
As well as this, if you want something highly conspicuous, such as covering the entire face of a signet ring with gemstones, that is also very possible. If you want a particularly large stone, you can also set it in the place of a signet ring’s face.
Ultimately, talk to your jeweller about your goals, and they will be able to design the right ring around your needs.
Does Your Custom Signet Ring Need To Fit On Your Little Finger?
Traditionally, the signet ring was placed on the little finger of your non-dominant hand, as this would keep a rather precious symbol of your family or affiliations close enough to always be to hand but not in the way of writing, fighting or other tasks which require your dominant hand.
However, the little finger is a somewhat awkward place for jewellery, as it can be difficult to find a comfortable place for it and it tends to be somewhat hidden at the far side of your hand if you wear a lot of rings.
The more modern choice, therefore, is to size a signet ring for your ring finger, or the third finger on either hand, which gives you the versatility to place it wherever you like.
If your custom signet ring is bucking trends and conventions already, it makes perfect sense to defy one more trend by moving your signet ring to be in line with your other jewellery choices and allow it to be a much greater showcase of your story and personal style.