“Custom, custom, custom.” This is the answer that Sergio Antonini, art director at Italian jeweler Antonini, gives when asked what his clients — both retail and consumer — are seeking in their signet rings. “They want to give their contribution in the design process,” he says, noting that such tweaks increasingly focus on pavé gems rather than engravings.
Camille Zarsky, owner of jewelry store The Seven in New York’s West Village, agrees but finds that one-of-a-kind designs hold just as much sway as personalized ones. “They still have that bespoke feel that our customer looks for,” says Zarsky, who most regularly sells signets to self-purchasing women.
To cater to what she describes as high demand for such rings, The Seven has teamed up with jewelry brand Dyne on a capsule of five one-of-a-kind signets. The hieroglyph-inspired symbols on the rings speak to immortality and female empowerment; one has sapphires on the inside of the band, a secret detail for the wearer alone to enjoy.
A desire for the unique has led some brands to seek alternatives to traditional monograms, initials and crests. Seal & Scribe collects antique Victorian and Georgian glass and hardstone seals that were once used for letters, and turns them into jewels with unusual messages. The romantic seals in its Love Letters collection let clients find their own interpretations of symbolism tailored to past loves.
For his Signum line of colorful enameled signets, designer Shaun Leane has conceived a spiritual heraldry. Reconnecting with his Irish roots and taking inspiration from the country’s ancient pagan culture, he has created illustrations that pair animals with affirmations: An eagle is freedom, a snake renewal. The rings are connections to a hopeful future rather than a faded past, and this is exactly what attracts today’s signet collector.
Cece Jewellery A Traveller’s Tale ring in 18-karat gold, decorated with champlevé enamel and diamonds.
(Cece Jewellery)
Main image: Seal & Scribe rings from the Love Letters collection with antique seals and diamonds in 18-karat gold. (Seal & Scribe)
This article is from the March-April 2024 issue of Rapaport Magazine. View other articles here.
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