Signet Rings

Traditionally the little finger of the non-dominant hand — that's where it sat when the point was pressing a seal into wax without the ring interfering with writing. The pinky is still the classic placement. Plenty of people wear one on the index or ring finger now, and nobody minds.

They never were. Women have worn signets as long as men have; the association with menswear is a 20th-century development, not a historical one. What differs in practice is scale — a smaller face and a narrower band reads differently, and that's a proportion choice rather than a gendered one.

The old-money association is real, and it's the reason people ask. A crest you have no claim to is where it tips into costume. A plain face, a star, or your own initial doesn't carry that baggage — it's just a ring with a flat top. Ours are stars and stones, not heraldry.

That's the original purpose of the flat face. A jeweller can engrave initials or a small motif into most signets, and re-engrave an old one, though each pass takes metal off the face. On gold vermeil, engraving cuts through the plating to the silver beneath — which some people like as a contrast and others don't. Ask before, not after.

Yes, and more easily than most rings because the band is usually plain at the back where a jeweller works. If it's engraved on the face, sizing doesn't disturb it. Sizing up past two sizes thins the band, so buy close if you can — we run US 3 to 12 with half sizes.

They've had a genuine return in the last few years, driven by the plain and star-faced versions rather than crested ones. It's one of the few ring shapes that reads as neither engagement nor fashion, which is most of the appeal — it doesn't invite any particular question.