In T’s column 1 Piece, 10 Budgets, we share 10 perfect versions of an item in a range of prices. This time, we’re looking at signet rings, which, personalized with engravings, were once used to stamp family crests into wax and verify the authenticity of documents. Today, they’re worn as fashion statements and, while they’re often passed down as family heirlooms, designers are increasingly putting out fresh and alluring versions. Here are the examples that caught the T market editor Angela Koh’s eye.
Founded in Copenhagen in 1982, Pandora has built a global following with its charms and other accessible jewelry pieces, such as this sterling-silver signet ring. Though it has an eye-catching, slim profile, it also offers space for engraving, as do all the rings shown here.
The designer Eddie Borgo finds inspiration in art and architecture, especially the buildings of New York, where he’s based — as evident from the clean, pronounced lines of this octagonal signet ring.
3. Kinn, $360
After her family lost all its jewelry pieces in a 2015 robbery, Jennie Yoon began designing new ones to replace them. The project eventually became Kinn, a line of modern heirlooms that includes this classic signet ring, available in sterling silver or gold.
Best known for its sculptural cable bracelet, the New York jewelry house David Yurman also offers a range of signet rings. This sterling-silver option is specifically proportioned for the pinkie.
The sturdiness of Sheffield’s brushed sterling-silver signet ring is balanced by a dainty, off-center gray diamond set in 14-karat gold.
The Jamaican-born self-taught designer Matthew Harris started Mateo in 2009 with a focus on minimalist jewelry, such as this 14-karat gold ring with a softly rounded face.
7. Wwake, $1,990
Wwake founder Wing Yau prioritizes transparency around the sourcing of materials, using traceable gemstones and gold that’s either recycled or fair mined. This signet ring with an elongated head is the former.
When the Norwegian brand Tom Wood launched in 2013, signet rings were among its first designs, and they remain a core style. Among the current options is this one, with a large oval bezel crafted from 100 percent recycled gold.
One of America’s oldest jewelry houses, Tiffany & Co. has built a legacy around such timeless pieces as this 18-karat-gold signet ring. It can be customized by the brand’s skilled in-house engravers, who are able to execute complex family crests.
In addition to dreaming up ready-to-wear for Prada, Ilaria Icardi creates made-to-order pieces under her own name that look to the jewelry brand her family built in 1960s Valenza, Italy. This brushed-gold signet ring was adapted from a design by her father, Umberto.