Bloodstone Intaglio Ring
Late 20th Century American Etruscan Revival Signet Rings
Agate, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Edwardian Signet Rings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s British Modern Signet Rings
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century English Georgian Signet Rings
14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Art Deco Signet Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Georgian Signet Rings
Rose Gold
Vintage 1950s Canadian Signet Rings
10k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Classical Greek Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Italian Classical Roman Signet Rings
18k Gold, Silver
Early 2000s Signet Rings
Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Antique 1760s British Baroque Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique 1810s British Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s British Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Signet Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century American Signet Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 1880s English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique 1870s American More Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Signet Rings
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique Late 18th Century Italian Georgian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Italian Classical Roman Signet Rings
Agate, Gold
Antique 1890s French Napoleon III Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1920s Austrian Art Deco Signet Rings
14k Gold
Antique 19th Century Engagement Rings
18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1920s Austrian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Signet Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American More Rings
Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Antique 1870s French Napoleon III Signet Rings
Agate, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Signet Rings
Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Retro Signet Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Signet Rings
Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Antique 16th Century Turkish Signet Rings
Agate, Jasper, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Early 1900s Victorian Band Rings
Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Italian Classical Roman Signet Rings
18k Gold, Silver
Late 20th Century Unknown Solitaire Rings
Yellow Gold, 14k Gold
Antique 1830s Italian George III Signet Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century British Late Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 15k Gold
20th Century Swiss Signet Rings
14k Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Signet Rings
9k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Signet Rings
Gold, 14k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Signet Rings
Gold
1990s Contemporary Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Signet Rings
Gold, Yellow Gold, 9k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Signet Rings
18k Gold
Early 2000s American Neoclassical Signet Rings
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Steel
Antique Late 18th Century British Georgian Signet Rings
14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Yellow Gold
Vintage 1920s British Signet Rings
Other, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century English Edwardian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique 19th Century English Late Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 9k Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
20th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Yellow Gold
20th Century Signet Rings
Gold
Antique 19th Century Signet Rings
Chalcedony, 14k Gold
Antique 1880s English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 15k Gold
Antique 1880s British Signet Rings
Agate, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s English Signet Rings
Agate, 9k Gold
Antique 19th Century English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 15k Gold
Vintage 1940s American Greek Revival More Rings
Yellow Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century English Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 15k Gold
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, 15k Gold
20th Century Victorian Engagement Rings
Gold
Antique 19th Century British Victorian Signet Rings
Agate, Rose Gold
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Agate, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Link Bracelets
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Tuxedo Jackets
1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Opal, 18k Gold
Antique Late 18th Century English Georgian Signet Rings
21st Century and Contemporary British Signet Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s American Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Enamel, Gilt Metal
20th Century French Modern Brooches
Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Tourmaline, 22k Gold
Vintage 1970s British Signet Rings
Onyx, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Solitaire Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Pink Diamond, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Classical Greek Signet Rings
Carnelian, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Swedish Retro Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique 1880s Swiss Wrist Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
Bloodstone Intaglio Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Bloodstone Intaglio Ring?
Why Gold Shines in Jewelry Craftsmanship
Gold is the feel-good metal, the serotonin of jewelry. Wear vintage and antique gold necklaces, watches, gold bracelets or gold rings and you feel happy, you feel dressed, you feel, well, yourself.
Gold, especially yellow gold, with its rich patina and ancient pedigree going back thousands of years, is the steady standby, the well-mannered metal of choice. Any discussion of this lustrous metal comes down to a basic truth: Gold is elementary, my dear. Gold jewelry that couples the mystique of the metal with superb design and craftsmanship achieves the status of an enduring classic. Many luxury houses have given us some of our most treasured and lasting examples of gold jewelry over the years.
Since its founding, in 1837, Tiffany & Co. has built its reputation on its company jewelry as well as its coterie of boutique designers, which has included Jean Schlumberger, Donald Claflin, Angela Cummings and Elsa Peretti. There are numerous gold Tiffany classics worth citing. Some are accented with gemstones, but all stand out for their design and the workmanship displayed.
For the woman who prefers a minimalist look, the Tiffany & Co. twist bangle (thin, slightly ovoid) is stylishly simple. For Cummings devotees, signature pieces feature hard stone inlay, such as her pairs of gold ear clips inlaid with black jade (a play on the classic Chanel black and tan), or bangles whose design recalls ocean waves, with undulating lines of lapis lazuli and mother-of-pearl. And just about any design by the great Jean Schlumberger is by definition a classic.
Even had he eschewed stones and diamonds, Southern-born David Webb would be hailed for the vast arsenal of heavy gold jewelry he designed. Gold, usually hammered or textured in some manner, defines great David Webb jewelry. The self-taught jeweler made very au courant pieces while drawing inspiration from ancient and out-of-the-way sources — East meets West in the commanding gold necklaces made by Webb in the early 1970s. The same could be said for his endlessly varied gold cuffs.
In Europe, many houses have given us gold jewelry that sets the highest standard for excellence, pieces that were highly sought after when they were made and continue to be so.
Numerous designs from Cartier are homages to gold. There are the classic Trinity rings, necklaces and bracelets — trifectas of yellow, white and rose gold. As a testament to the power of love, consider the endurance of the Cartier Love bracelet.
Aldo Cipullo, Cartier’s top in-house designer from the late 1960s into the early ’70s, made history in 1969 with the Love bracelet. Cipullo frequently said that the Love bracelet was born of a sleepless night contemplating a love affair gone wrong and his realization that “the only remnants he possessed of the romance were memories.” He distilled the urge to keep a loved one close into a slim 18-karat gold bangle.
BVLGARI and its coin jewelry, gemme nummarie, hit the jackpot when the line launched in the 1960s. The line has been perennially popular. BVLGARI coin jewelry features ancient Greek and Roman coins embedded in striking gold mounts, usually hung on thick link necklaces of varying lengths. In the 1970s, BVLGARI introduced the Tubogas line, most often made in yellow gold. The Tubogas watches are classics, and then there is the Serpenti, the house's outstanding snake-themed watches and bracelets.
A collection called Monete that incorporated the gold coins is one of several iconic BVLGARI lines that debuted in the 1970s and ’80s, catering to a new generation of empowered women. Just as designers like Halston and Yves Saint Laurent were popularizing fuss-free ready-to-wear fashion for women on the go, BVLGARI offered jewels to be lived in.
Since Van Cleef & Arpels opened its Place Vendôme doors in 1906, collection after collection of jewelry classics have enchanted the public. As predominantly expressed in a honeycomb of gold, there is the Ludo watch and accessories, circa the 1920s, and the golden Zip necklace, 1951, whose ingenious transformation of the traditional zipper was originally proposed by the Duchess of Windsor. Van Cleef's Alhambra, with its Moroccan motif, was introduced in 1968 and from the start its popularity pivoted on royalty and celebrity status. It remains one of VCA’s most popular and collected styles.
Mention must be made of Buccellati, whose name is synonymous with gold so finely spun that it suggests tapestry. The house’s many gold bracelets, typically embellished with a few or many diamonds, signified taste and distinction and are always in favor on the secondary market. Other important mid-20th-century houses known for their gold-themed jewelry include Hermès and Ilias Lalaounis.
Find a stunning collection of vintage and antique gold jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Signet-rings for You
Traditionally considered a ring for men, a vintage signet ring is a popular gift today for anyone who desires an expressive, timeless piece of jewelry that can feature all manner of engraved motifs, gemstones, specific symbols or monograms.
Whether it's an antique gold signet ring, diamond signet ring or some other classic iteration, signet rings get their name from signus, which means “sign” in Latin.
These rings, which may historically be referred to as “seal rings,” date back thousands of years and were used as a form of signature. Whatever may have been engraved on the ring — a married couple’s initials, a family crest — identified ownership for the purposes of authenticating documents and more when impressed on soft wax. During the Middle Ages, signet rings were symbols of power and prestige and common accessories for nobility. Later, during the 19th century, precious and semiprecious stones such as rubies and diamonds were added to gold signet rings as they took on a more ornate appearance than they had previously.
In recent years, fashion has been primarily about individuality, and nothing is more personal than a jewel bearing a name or monogram. That is the reason jewelers have revived traditional signet rings, custom-engraving their designs with customers’ preferred words or symbols. Those who prefer the thrill of the hunt have a range of vintage letter charms and pendants to sift through.
And it isn't all about men's signet rings anymore, either — the accessory is for everyone. Princess Diana wore a signet ring that was a gift from Charles before their wedding, and we all know that the royals are top-tier fashion influencers, especially when it comes to rings.
Find vintage diamond signet rings, onyx signet rings and other types of rings on 1stDibs.
- What is a Bloodstone ring?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertOctober 26, 2021Bloodstone is a hazy, unique green stone with intriguing flecks of orangey-red in it (these flecks are said to resemble blood spots – hence the name) caused by iron-rich mineral elements. Bloodstone rings are available in a variety of cuts such as cushion cut, oval, emerald cut, round and more. A bloodstone ring can make for a versatile accessory. Shop a collection of vintage and modern bloodstone rings from some of the world’s top jewelers on 1stDibs.
- What is an intaglio ring?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022An intaglio ring has a gem with a recessed image on it. Intaglio rings were used in ancient Rome as signet rings, where one could use hot wax to transfer their specific ring’s impression to another surface. Shop a collection of expertly vetted jewelry from some of the world’s top sellers on 1stDibs.
- What is a Roman intaglio ring?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022A Roman intaglio ring is a signet ring with an image carved into stone. Today the ring is worn as an accessory. In ancient Rome, intaglio rings were worn by prominent businessmen and politicians and even used as impressions on signatures of hot wax. Browse a wide range of Roman intaglio rings from reputable sellers on 1stDibs.
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