Men wearing jewelry is nothing new these days.
If you can only choose one piece of jewelry that best reflects the character of a gentleman,
A signet ring must be a top choice on the list.
A small signet ring,
It includes many symbolic factors such as culture, fashion, status, rights and so on.
Even if it's just as an accessory,
The signet ring is also the first choice to reflect the elegant charm of gentlemen.
In the sci-fi masterpiece "Dune", several attractive male characters wear uniformly signet rings, and even these chic rings are in the C position in the character posters.
The seal ring is not only an accessory in the film, but also serves as an important prop to promote the plot. The protagonist's father, the Duke of Atreides, wore a signet ring symbolizing the family's power when he traded with Arrakis. The pattern on the ring is the Atreides family crest and is engraved with the words "Here I am, here I remain".
The signet ring is not just a prop, it is one of the oldest jewels in history, it was also a symbol of royal status, and now the signet ring is a must-have jewel for gentlemen.
The oldest jewelry in history
Signet Ring, derived from the Latin word Signum, translates to symbol, also known as "gentleman's ring", "stamp ring". The reason why it is called a seal ring comes from Europe in the Middle Ages, when people would seal it with hot wax after writing a letter, and then stamp a seal on it, which is equivalent to a signature to prove the authenticity of the letter.
The band face of a signet ring is usually round or oval and decorated with the wearer's family coat of arms, logo, or initials.
This seemingly simple piece of jewelry is actually very old, almost since the earliest humans began to wear jewelry. Its earliest appearance can be traced back to the Mesopotamian era in 3500 BC, when there was no ring as an ornament used to decorate the hand.
Limestone seals from the Mesopotamian period,
It depicts the worship of the sun god
Due to the large size of the seal and the inconvenience of carrying it, in the ancient Egyptian period, the pharaohs and important figures made it smaller and wore it on their hands to show their status, which is also regarded by many jewelry scholars as the earliest prototype of the ring.
Prototype of the signet ring unearthed in the ancient Egyptian period,
It is inscribed with hieroglyphs representing the god Buta
By 700 BC to 500 BC, both aesthetically pleasing and functional signet rings were popular in ancient Greece. The theme of the signet rings of this period is dominated by Greek culture, without obvious family and personal characteristics, and the most common totem is the Greek gods.
Ancient Greek (400 BC) manuflot rings from the British Museum
The image of the goddess Athena is carved
During the Roman period, the signet ring began to be hierarchical. At that time, the material of the seal ring was divided according to class, and the members of the parliament wore iron rings, while the members of the Senate could wear gold rings.
Ancient Roman (100-200 BC) signet rings from the V&A Museum
Made of gold, an ant totem is drawn on an onyx inlaid in the middle
The ant is the symbol of the Roman goddess Chris, who is responsible for agriculture and harvest
By the Middle Ages, the seal ring had become a "official seal", and nobles and officials with status would use the seal ring to sign letters and legal documents. In the 14th century, King Edward II of England also issued a decree stipulating that all official documents must be "stamped" with the king's seal ring.
Edward II seal ring on display at the Louvre Museum
Made of yellow gold with rubies in the middle
The signet ring, which was "brought" by the king himself, was completely circulated in high society from the Renaissance onwards. Celebrities with a certain social influence and social status will customize a signet ring with personal or family characteristics.
The seal ring of Shakespeare, the soul of the Renaissance
Engraved with William Shakespeare's initials and a valentine's knot pattern
Gentleman's ring
Of course, with the passage of time, the signet ring has no substantial "seal" effect, but has become a symbol of family inheritance and social status. In the 2010 biopic The King's Speech, Colin Firth wore a signet ring, played by Colin Firth, who wore a signet ring, and the real George VI also wore a signet ring all year round.
Stills from The King's Speech
Real photographs of George VI restored in color
Prince Charles, the grandson of George VI, was officially awarded the title of Prince of Wales by the Queen in 1969, taking over the belt, sword, crown, ring and scepter that symbolized Wales.
Since the 1970s, this status-symbol signet ring has basically left Charles, and the three ostrich feathers on the ring are symbols of the power of the Prince of Wales.
Prince Charles's wedding ring has changed, but the signet ring has remained the same
Prince Charles's ring is an exclusive totem symbolizing the Prince of Wales
In fact, from the 18th and 19th centuries onwards, the seal ring was no longer a noble patent, but because of its special meaning, it truly became a "gentleman's ring". Many powerful tycoons and upstarts have also begun to create their own exclusive rings that symbolize status.
When Al Pacino played the Godfather, he often wore a signet ring in order to reflect the role of a non-arrogant speaker.
In "The Great Gatsby", the protagonist is a nouveau riche who wants to squeeze into high society, and in order to highlight the characteristics of the character, Little Plum specially wears a signet ring made of black agate.
Colin Firth, who played George VI, is himself a representative of the British gentleman, and in many of the film and television works in which he has appeared, he has shown the gentlemanly demeanor of the character by wearing the detail of the signet ring.
In 2009's "Single Man", the elegant English professor wears a signet ring on his little finger and is full of literary temperament.
In the "Ace Agent" familiar to Chinese audiences, Colin plays a textbook gentleman agent, and the seal ring is inseparable. In the movie, the ring is still a weapon, personable and hidden.
So that when the protagonist transforms from a street gangster to a gentleman's agent, in addition to the custom suit, the most important transformation of the shape is also added to the signet ring.
Nowadays, with the return of the retro trend, the signet ring is no longer an "old antique", but has become the favorite of many young idols with taste and personality.
Cai Xukun wears two seal rings on top of each other
How to wear a signet ring is the most fancy
As a jewelry that is special enough and "deep-rooted", a signet ring will not only not be feminine and exaggerated, but will appear very stylish.
First of all, how to wear the signet ring is the most stylish, if you are not taking the hipster man route, but want to wear more tasteful, it is recommended not to mix and match, wear alone on the little finger or ring finger are OK.
Wearing on the little finger is the most traditional way to wear the signet ring, the royal nobles and old gentlemen mentioned above are worn in this way, this is because the seal ring was first used mainly to "stamp", so wearing on the little finger is convenient to operate without affecting daily activities. Although the seal ring no longer has the actual function of the seal, this method of wearing it is still used by the orthodox gentlemen.
British actor Nigel Havers wears a signet ring
This method of wearing is especially suitable for pairing with classic formal wear, and the ring that is inadvertently exposed suddenly enhances the texture of the overall shape, making the whole person particularly elegant.
Of course, most people can't do the same as the real royal aristocracy, have their own family crest and totem, so how to choose the pattern of the seal ring?
The most exemplary choice is of course to customize a stamp with personal characteristics, shields, lions, feathers, these symbolic totems in the West, in fact, for Chinese has no deep meaning, you can try to write from the name to your hand, to customize your own signet ring.
For example, Rihann once wore a signet ring engraved with "RRF", representing her name Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
In addition to customization, many jewelry brands have also launched ready-made signet rings, you can choose your favorite totem, recommend two more characteristic high-end jewelry.
Bulgari's Moneye collection is very distinctive, with the theme of ancient Greco-Roman coins, on the one hand, it pays tribute to Bulgari's ancient Greek and Roman origins, and on the other hand, it also makes the signet ring look more historical.
Bulgari Monete series of signet rings
Niche jewelry brand Stephen Webster's Flipside ring features a rotatable, double-sided design and is semi-customizable, with the option to choose your own initials.
Stephen Webster Flipside signet ring
Modern signet rings do not necessarily have to be carved, borrowing the elements of the signet ring, the style of setting gemstones or diamonds, wearing it is also more characteristic than ordinary rings.
Men can choose a style inlaid with black onyx, and the gold-collared man played by Ryan Gosling in Crazy Stupid Love wears a black agate signet ring.
This ring comes from the classic style of American jewelry brand David Yurman, one of the brand's main items is the signet ring, the basic model averages about 400 US dollars, and the choice of styles and materials is very rich.
David Yurman Exotic Stone series of seal rings
The "plain circle" design of the seal ring is also very popular in recent years, it looks tougher than the ordinary plain circle, but therefore uses a stamp design of different thicknesses, so it does not look as tacky as the big gold ring, many young gentlemen will use Tiffany's "plain circle" stamp ring to replace the traditional ring, wearing more handsome and stylish.
Tiffany 1837 Makers Series Stamp Ring
Finally, if you prefer to wear a casual street style, you don't want to wear a mature gentleman's style, but only want to use a signet ring concave shape. Now many fashion brands have also taken their own logo as inspiration and launched a unique style of signet rings, which are more suitable for matching streetwear, and can be played with stacking and mixing.
Balenciaga double B seal ring
Gucci Logo signet ring
LV Monogram signet ring
For gentlemen, accessories are not much.
More luxurious than luxury,
It is able to have aesthetic taste and elegant taste.
Having a "gentleman's ring" is certainly gratifying,
But what is even more valuable is the "gentleman's character" that matches it.
Text / EVA
Figure / Brand
Edit / CARL
New Media Executive / JESSICA
Editor-in-Charge / LENNY