The KOBI KOACHMAN Guide to Men’s SIGNET RINGS-An Essential and Timeless Accessory for the Stylish Gent

Back in the days, signet rings were only worn by the wealthy aristocrat persons, politicians, or religious leaders, they were completed with wearer’s signature that had been mirrored plus the initials or coat of arm. Men’s signet rings now have become a kind of fashion piece, today it is considered the gentleman’s ring.

Many people do not have any idea about signet rings. If you are one of them, That’s not a problem……
…..because if you’re reading this you’re about to learn more in 10 minutes what over 90% of the new generation of men don’t know. I hope you enjoy this. Last week Friday, I had an appointment with a client I met during a Conference back in June this year. He was planning to attend his cousin’s wedding the following week and had contacted me to style him for the occasion. During the pre-consultation, I tried to understand his needs, expectations and lifestyle in order to prepare a bespoke styling and shopping plan specific to his need. I gathered from our meeting that he loves bright colors, but prefers the simple but exquisite classy type of dressing. I suggested dressing him in Italian Style for the wedding while accentuating the style with few accessories using a combination of nautical trend bracelets & gold encrusted bracelets and finishing it off with a gold Signet Ring.

I had to empower him with a style that will not only look nice but also stand out from the crowd. The details — Navy blue and red Sports Coat, Crisp White Italian Shirt with metal buttons, multicolored Pocket Square with signature navy blue border, a White Chinos, a Cesare Paciotti Black Belt with double sword face, a Wet look Loafers with Tassels, a few bracelets and finally a Gold/Black Signet Ring. It came out fantastic as I had envisaged.

He said he felt like an Italian billionaire Mafioso boss and god father. In his words “He was on top of the world”. More than the dressing, he really loved the flirtatious advances he got from a multitude of beautiful ladies at the wedding reception with a lot of them sending flirtatious signals which he was very happy to receive, all because of that single piece of gold ring on his ‘pinky’ finger — the signet ring. End of Story! When it comes to wearing the ring, certain qualities are said to be associated with each finger. The index finger represents leadership and ambition, while the middle finger channels a person’s sense of law and justice, and the ring finger represents relationships, creativity, and the love of beauty. The little or ‘pinky’ finger (where the signet ring is usually worn) represents intelligence, communication, persuasion, and intuition.

Let’s take a look back in history and examine the background of this amazing ring. Shall we? Ancient kings used signet rings to designate authority, honor, or ownership.It is usually owned by a certain family and passed over through generation. This type of ring was very popular among Kings, Popes and people of very high nobility, the ring was used as a seal to represent its owner — similar to a signature.

Back then, men would wear it on the ‘pinky’ finger of the left hand and stamp it on hot wax to sign documents and seal letters. These days, they are no longer used in this way, although many still wear them bearing their family crest or coat of arms. Even till this day, signet rings are still seen as a symbol of wealth and status. This sign of nobility has now been adopted by the fashion world as a choice for a man who wants to make a fashion statement. A trend which is very much in line with the well-to-do gentleman, similar to how pocket squares and tie bars are now frequently worn by the modern chaps as style pieces designed to set us apart from the ‘crowd’. This reborn appeal of the classy signet ring is going strong and shows no sign of fading. …So I decided to write this article to show you different types of signet rings with comparison from modern to antique as well as giving you some rules to adhere to while wearing them.

TYPES OF SIGNET RING

Let’s categorize the Signet Ring into two types namely — The REAL Signet Ring and the MODERN Signet Rings.
The fact that I labelled the real signet ring “real” doesn’t make the modern signet ring “fake”. The major difference between both is actually in the seal. The Real Signet Ring is the Antique Type which was used by the ancient Egyptians over 4000 years ago. Those types were completed with the sign properly mirrored.

Since at least the 16th century there have also been pseudo-signet rings where the engraving is not reversed (mirror image), as it should be if the impression is to be read correctly. The more recent signet rings now do not have that kind of signature because engraving is not made in the mirror style any more. It would be quite impossible to find or to own the old, real and antique signet rings since most of them are now kept safely in the museum or in a restricted area. Rather, you can buy the modern signet rings with or without your own personalized information.

FOUR (4) SIMPLE RULES ON WEARING SIGNET RING

1. The traditional finger to wear the signet ring is actually on the pinky finger of either hand, however ensure you are NOT wearing your “wedding ring” on same hand as the signet ring. If you wear your wedding band on the left 4th finger, then you may wear your signet ring on the right pinky (5th) finger.
2. You may choose to wear the signet ring on your fourth (ring) finger, however same rule applies as above, do NOT wear it together with your wedding band or on same hand as your wedding band.
3. You may choose to wear the signet ring on your wedding “ring” finger — in place of your traditional gold wedding band [if your spouse accepts]. This tradition is usually common among the British royal family where the use of the left-pinky finger as the wedding ring and royal signet is shrouded in family secrecy.
4. Only wear the type that is appropriate for the occasion or your style of dressing. There are different types — with engravings that are work appropriate (your initials, simple stone etc) and those that are casual (engravings such as Skulls, Star of David) and it comes in different colors — silver, black, gold etc. Choose the right type.

CONCLUSION

I surely believe that you have enjoyed this article and you are now inspired to include this one simple but exquisite accessory in your dressing to complete your style and to always stand out.
However, if you are still not convinced, please take some time off from whatever you are doing and watch the movie Kingsman-The Secret Service. While you are at it, you should pay close attention to the gold ring on the 5th finger [the little finger] of Agent Harry Hart [played by Colin Firth] as well as that of every other Kingsman agent, including their leader Chester King [played by Michael Cain]. Asides the clean cut and fitted suit, the signet ring was their signature style throughout the movie.

Please feel free to drop your comments and contributions on the comment section below and share the story of your ring. Your feedback helps us improve and serve you better. You could also write me — mrkobi@kobikoachman.com if you have inquiries or you are interested in any of our products or services we offer. Also follow me on Instagram & Twitter — @kobimbagwu & @kobikoachman for more Style Inspirations to inspire your lifestyle. Thank you so much for stopping by. Till you hear from me again, continue to Do Well. Live Well and Dress Really Well. Be Stylish!

Yours in style,

Mr. Kobi
@kobimbagwu (Instagram)
@kobimbagwu (Twitter)