Significant signet rings

 

The wax seal has been used as a form of signature on legal documents for thousands of years however it is the Ancient Egyptians who are responsible for introducing the signet ring.

 

 

These would be used by influential figures and by the Middle Ages, any person of nobility had their own unique signet ring to sign letters and seal important documents. Moving through history, by the fourteenth century, King Edward II ruled that all legal documents must be signed by the King’s signet ring and upon the death of the King, the ring must be destroyed so that no legal documents could be forged after death.

 

For generations, signet rings have been worn as a statement piece of jewellery and are still often engraved with the family crest or the wearers initials. Some may be left blank with the option to engrave at a later date. Lot 592 in the Wednesday 18 July Jewellery auction is a gentleman’s nine-carat gold example with initials engraved to the bezel. Although this may not relate to your own name, this could easily be refurbished and ready for a brand new family crest or set of initials.