The signet ring is having its moment in 2026, which is a slightly misleading way to describe something that has been in continuous production for approximately four thousand years. What is actually happening is that the signet ring is having a visibility moment: it is appearing in new contexts — stacked on index fingers, worn on the right hand alongside engagement rings, given as a non-traditional proposal piece. These represent a widening of the format's social grammar rather than its revival. It never went away. It is simply being worn differently.
I have a specific view on signet rings. The engraved version (a family crest or monogram cut in reverse into a flat gold face) is the most interesting object in this category, and the most undervalued piece of personalised fine jewellery available. A bespoke engraved signet in 18-carat gold costs roughly the same as a branded piece from a demi-fine house, lasts longer, and becomes more meaningful with time rather than less. The statement signet (the chunky contemporary version without engraving) is interesting for different reasons, and I will get to it.
First, the edit.
In Brief: The signet ring category divides into three territories: the traditional engraved ring (family crest, monogram, personal symbol), where Rebus, Hancocks, Deakin & Francis, and Bentley & Skinner are the relevant names; the contemporary statement ring with bold design and no engraving, where Castro Smith is the most distinctive maker; and the vintage hardstone ring, where bloodstone, carnelian, and lapis lazuli in antique settings offer the best value in the category. The right finger for most signet rings is the right hand. The right size is whatever keeps the ring facing correctly without turning.
The case for engraving
A signet ring without an engraving is a ring with a flat top. There is nothing wrong with it, but a signet ring with an engraving is a different object entirely: it is a record, a seal, a mark that belongs to one person and cannot be reproduced by buying another ring of the same model. This is the quality that distinguishes the engraved signet from almost everything else in fine jewellery.
The engraving does not have to be a family crest. Many people do not have a family crest, or have one but feel nothing particular about it. Useful alternatives: a monogram of two or three initials; a date; a small personal motif (a bee, a star, an anchor, an animal that means something); a phrase in a script that is yours; the handwriting of someone you love. The key is that the engraving has been chosen deliberately rather than selected from a default list. A signet ring is an unusual object: one of the few pieces of jewellery that is also a statement, in the literal sense of a mark that communicates identity.
Seal engraving, the traditional technique, cuts the design in reverse and in relief, so that when the ring is pressed into sealing wax it produces the correct impression. Almost no one uses signet rings to seal letters in 2026. The seal engraving technique is still the right choice because it cuts deeper and produces an image with more dimension and visual interest than surface engraving.
The makers
Rebus in Hatton Garden is my first recommendation for a bespoke engraved signet. They offer a try-before-you-buy service (resin copies of any ring in their range, made to your finger size, posted out before you commit) which is worth using because a signet ring must feel right in the hand, not just look right in a photograph. The shapes run from classic oval and cushion to the more architectural Era range, which has bevelled faces and banded shoulders derived from Roman signet rings. Their engravers work by hand. The price range for an 18-carat gold signet with hand engraving runs from approximately £600 to £1,800 depending on size, metal weight, and engraving complexity.
Hancocks on Bond Street has been making signet rings since 1849, the year they also made the Victoria Cross for Queen Victoria. The seal engraving they produce is deeper and more finely detailed than almost anything available at this price point. Hancocks supplies a wax impression box with every ring: a small object worth having, because it shows you the mirror image of your engraving and demonstrates that the ring is actually functional as a seal. Their hardstone ring range, set with engraved bloodstone or carnelian, is one of the few sources of properly made stone-set signets at accessible prices.
Deakin & Francis, founded in Birmingham in 1786, make every ring in their Jewellery Quarter workshop. The range sticks to traditional oval and cushion shapes; the design language is conservative in the good sense, which is to say that the rings look like signets have always looked rather than like what someone imagined a signet might look like. Their responsibly sourced gold policy is substantiated rather than gestural. Expect to pay £400 to £900 for an 18-carat piece with engraving.
Bentley & Skinner in Piccadilly hold a Royal Warrant to His Majesty the King. Their signet ring service includes assistance tracing your family crest through the College of Arms, which is the right process if you have heraldic entitlement and want to use it correctly. The pieces are traditional and correct; the in-store experience on Piccadilly is the kind that is now increasingly rare.
The statement ring
Castro Smith is doing something different from everyone else in this category, and worth understanding on its own terms.
Smith trained as a seal engraver in Hatton Garden and works from a London studio. His signet rings use the ancient seal engraving technique (deep, reverse carving) but the imagery is not crests or monograms. It is ravens, phoenixes, hearts, mythological and natural subjects rendered with a level of detail that the traditional crest-engraving market rarely demands. The Tower of Raven signet has a hand-engraved raven head with a ruby eye finished in black rhodium. The Phoenix ring has a diamond-set eye and black rhodium shadow detail. These are pieces that make a statement in the most literal sense: they communicate something about the person wearing them, as signet rings have always been designed to do, but through imagery rather than heraldry.
The material is 9-carat gold or sterling silver, a practical choice for pieces designed to be worn daily and to accumulate the marks of daily wear. Available at castrosmith.com. The design language improves with age in a way that plated demi-fine jewellery does not. Castro Smith is stocked at Dover Street Market and available directly; the waiting time for bespoke pieces can run to ten weeks.
For the contemporary statement signet without engraving (the bold chunky ring worn as a design object rather than a personal mark) the antique market is worth considering alongside new production. A Georgian or early Victorian gold signet ring in a simple setting, bought from a reputable dealer, costs comparable to a contemporary version and has more character. The Antique Jewellery Company and Berganza both carry antique signets regularly.
The hardstone ring
The hardstone signet is a specific subtype that deserves its own entry: a signet ring set with a polished or engraved semi-precious stone rather than cut into the metal itself.
Bloodstone is a dark green chalcedony with red flecks of jasper, and the historical favourite for hardstone signets. It polishes well, engraves clearly, and the red-on-green contrast is visually distinctive. Carnelian (orange-red, warm) and lapis lazuli (deep blue, often with gold pyrite inclusions) are the other traditional materials. All three were common in Georgian and Victorian signet rings, and all three are still available from specialist makers.
Hancocks set hardstones to commission. The antique market is the better source for Victorian examples at price points that would be hard to match from new production. A Victorian bloodstone signet in 18-carat gold with a family crest engraved in the stone runs approximately £800 to £2,500 at a reputable antique jeweller; the equivalent piece made new would cost considerably more. This is one of those market inefficiencies worth knowing about.
Shape, size, and finger
The oval is the classic signet shape and suits most hands. The cushion (a square with rounded corners) reads as slightly more contemporary. The shield shape, which tapers toward the bottom, has a heraldic quality that looks best with a crest rather than a monogram.
Size is the thing most buyers get wrong, in both directions. A signet ring that is too large for the finger looks like a costume piece. A signet ring that is too small to carry its engraving is visually unsatisfying. The correct size has enough face to display the design clearly without dominating the finger. Most makers will show you a range of face sizes before you commit; use this.
The right finger for most signet rings in contemporary wear is the right-hand ring finger or the right-hand pinky. The index finger works for a more deliberate statement. The left hand is available but increasingly associated with engagement and stacking conventions. For more on how a signet sits in a stack, the ring stacking guide has the practical details on position and sizing.
What to avoid
Laser-engraved signets. Laser engraving is faster and cheaper than hand engraving, and produces a flatter, shallower image with less visual interest. It is also less durable: hand-engraved lines have sharp walls and depth; laser-engraved lines can appear to fade over decades of wear. Any serious maker will be explicit about which technique they use. If a price seems low for a bespoke signet, laser engraving is usually the explanation.
Silver as a starting material. Silver tarnishes, scratches more easily than gold, and responds to sweat and skin chemistry in ways that make daily wear maintenance-intensive. For a ring worn every day, 9-carat gold is a better entry point than silver, and 18-carat gold the correct choice for a piece intended to last fifty years.
"Signet-inspired" pieces from fashion retailers. A ring with a flat rectangular top in silver is not a signet ring; it is a ring with a flat rectangular top. The signet ring's value comes from its engraving, its weight, its maker, and its meaning. A £40 version has none of these things.
Quick reference
| Style | Best source | Price range |
|---|---|---|
| Bespoke engraved, traditional | Rebus, Hancocks, Deakin & Francis | £400–£1,800 |
| Heritage crest, Royal Warrant | Bentley & Skinner | £600–£2,500 |
| Statement, mythology imagery | Castro Smith | £300–£900 |
| Hardstone (bloodstone, carnelian) | Hancocks, antique dealers | £600–£2,500 |
| Antique signet, Georgian/Victorian | Antique Jewellery Company, Berganza | £400–£3,000 |
Frequently asked questions
What finger should a signet ring be worn on?
Traditionally the little finger of the non-dominant hand, which is where British signet ring convention places it — still visible in photographs of the late Duke of Edinburgh, who wore his consistently throughout his life. In contemporary practice, the right-hand ring finger and right-hand index finger are both common. The key consideration is that the ring faces correctly when the hand is at rest: the engraving should be visible to others when the hand is held naturally, not rotated toward the palm. Choose the finger where the ring sits without turning.
How much does a bespoke signet ring cost?
A bespoke engraved signet ring in 9-carat gold starts around £250 to £400 from reputable UK makers. In 18-carat gold with hand engraving, expect £600 to £1,800 depending on face size, metal weight, and engraving complexity. The price difference between 9-carat and 18-carat reflects both the gold content and, typically, the thickness and weight of the ring. For a ring intended to last a lifetime and be passed on, 18-carat is worth the premium.
What is the difference between seal engraving and surface engraving?
Seal engraving cuts the design deeply and in reverse into the face of the ring, so that when pressed into sealing wax the correct image is produced. It is the traditional technique and produces an image with depth and visual relief. Surface engraving cuts the design right-way-round into the surface of the metal, producing a shallower result that is correct to read directly on the ring but has less three-dimensional character. Seal engraving is more durable, more visually interesting, and more technically demanding. It is what any serious signet ring maker should be using.
Can women wear signet rings?
Yes, and have throughout history. The format has no meaningful gender convention in 2026. Women's signet rings tend to run slightly smaller in face size and ring weight than men's, but the same makers, the same engraving options, and the same design considerations apply. Hancocks, Rebus, Castro Smith, and Deakin & Francis all make rings for all genders as a matter of course.
Are antique signet rings a good buy?
For value, frequently yes. A Georgian or Victorian gold signet ring with a hardstone engraved with a family crest, bought from a reputable dealer with provenance, often costs less than an equivalent ring made new. The stone engraving on antique hardstone signets was typically done at a quality level that is hard to source at the same price today. The caveats are condition (check the shank for wear and thinning, and confirm the stone is uncracked) and sizing (resizing an antique signet is possible but requires skill; ask the dealer about this before buying).
Sources: Rebus, Hancocks, Deakin & Francis, Bentley & Skinner, and Castro Smith maker information, 2026; Antique Jewellery Company and Berganza current inventory, 2026.
