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It’s hardly a common situation for Prince Charles to find himself in fashion’s vanguard, even if recent seasons have seen men’s wear designers falling for his penchant for double-breasted suits. But there he was at Clarence House earlier this month, at the launch of his eco garden party, representing not only the crown but a new fashion trend (although chances are it was not a conscious decision). There, on his little finger, was a gold signet ring.
The traditional signifier of old wealth and breeding, worn on the pinky and engraved with the family crest for pressing into wax seals, the signet ring is coming into favour with those for whom heraldry and coats of arms are half-remembered notions from history lessons.
Stephen Webster, the prominent jewellery designer and creative director of luxury jewellers Garrard, says he has noticed “bankers and hedge fund guys, not the people you’d expect” taking to them.
“At one time there would have been a particular type that wore a signet on their pinky, but now if a guy has made a decision to wear one it’s because he’s made an effort over his looks.
The vogue for sharp tailoring and old-fashioned elegance – embodied by Colin Firth’s suave, signet-sporting academic in A Single Man, the Tom Ford-directed film released earlier this year – has made the toff’s status symbol chic. Zoe Benyon-Pedley, co-founder of boutique London jewellers Robinson Pelham, has noticed an upturn in requests for signet rings (prices from £500) from both their established constituency – the offspring of the upper classes, who had been forsaking signets since footballers and rappers took jewellery in a rather gaudier direction – and those with an eye for a smart accessory with heritage behind it.
