Signet rings for men have been used throughout the centuries, even in Ancient Greece they were worn by many commanders as a symbol of victory. They were also used for sealing letters, as you have probably seen in movies, by applying some wax to an envelope and stamping the seal into it. When used for these sorts of applications, signet rings are often referred to as seal rings instead.
Although men’s signet rings started off as signs of victories, they later evolved to become status symbols – rings worn by the rich and wealthy. Also, throughout history, various secret societies have also used signet rings as an identification tool. One such example is of the free masons – such societies however usually hid the signet emblem from the public. Today some universities, clubs and so on use signet rings for social identity, except that there is no need to hide the emblem anymore.
Today signet rings for men are still quite popular. They come in all shapes and sizes – some are plain, others quite decorated. They often appear with a family shield or motto, initials, gemstone and other types of precious stones. Usually men’s signet rings are made of gold or silver.
Signet rings for men can be worn on any finger, however traditionally nobles wore it on either the small finger or the 5th finger, sometimes on the right hand, sometimes on the left (depending on local customs). In some countries it was more common to find the signet ring being worn on the ring finger on either hand.
Related posts:
Tags: jewellery, jewelry, men, men's, ring, rings, seal, signet