How do I find my family Crest?
We can help with this by looking in our library of Heraldic books. We use Fairbairns book of crests. There are many editions of this unique reference book. You can normally find a copy in your local library, should you wish to do your own research. Most family crests are detailed in this book and we would be more than happy to send the options to you either via fax or in the post. |
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How long will my ring take to arrive?
Signet Rings usually take up to 6-8 weeks to complete, although at busier times (September - December) they can take up to 9 weeks. We do not hold any stock - all signet rings are made to order and engraving is something you cannot rush.
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How do I find my Ring Size?
We include a ring sizer with all our brochures - to order a brochure, please select 'Brochure' on our website and fill in your details. We will then send you one within a few days.
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Are the Signet Rings Hallmarked?
Yes - all our signet rings bear our Signets & Cyphers hallmark - S&C.
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Which hand should I wear my Signet Ring on?
Signet Rings should be worn on your non leading hand. Ie; if you are right handed, you should wear it on your left hand and vice versa. Signets rings should always be worn on your little finger.
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Is it possible to have a Signet ring made of White Gold?
Yes this is possible. Please call for further details on this.
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How will my finished Signet Ring be sent to me?
We will send your finished Signet Ring to you via Royal Mail Special Delivery. We will call you when it arrives back with us to make sure you will be in to sign for the delivery. If this is not possible - we can always send to a different address.
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My wife mostly wears silver or platinum jewellery so I am interested in white gold. Please can you give me some information on the pro's and con's of white gold or should I be considering platinum to achieve a pure white result?
Firstly Platinum is very expensive - the smallest we do is the medium which costs £1596.
White gold is a little bit more expensive (White Gold: please add 15% to the base price).
White gold processing. Silver Paladium is added to the gold to make it whiter. 18ct white gold uses more paladium as it is more resistant to tarnishing and colour change (thus will remain whiter)but the lower you go down the purity scale more silver is used and this has a tendency to tarnish due to the blackening effect of silver. This means that white gold inevitably will become slightly yellow and in 9ct this is more obvious. (If worn continually the ring will be constantly polished so there will be less tarnishing effect).
It is an option to have white gold rodium plated which looks very bright and impressive but this is a shortlived fix as the electroplating process only produces a very thin veneer. This may only last 9 months and then you get the unpleasant effect of seeing the different tone of the gold showing through in the areas where it is wearing. Rodium plating does not sound like a good idea and I am sure it would compromise the effect of the engraving.
In terms of purity and achieving a near white gold ring my recommendation is always to go for an 18ct white gold ring, but please bear in mind that occasionally people say that it looks a bit more metallic (but then again so does platinum!). |
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What is the actual difference between 9ct and 18ct Gold?
Amongst the differences between 9 and 18 carat gold are...
Fine gold content:
- 18 carat gold contains twice as much fine gold by proportion (750ppt vs 375ppt)
- 18 carat gold is approximately 40% heavier.
- 18 carat gold contains over 2.6 times as much fine gold as a 9 carat product of the same size/volume. That is to say, don't expect that if you have two identical items in 9 and 18 carat gold, the 18 carat one has twice as much gold, this is not the case. Please see attached note for a detailed explanation of this.
Other properties:
- Tarnish resistance-
18 carat gold is more resistant to tarnishing and other chemical attack than 9 carat gold. This is because silver and copper, which constitute a larger proportion of 9 carat gold, oxidise more readily than gold.
- Hardness
An issue on which there is much discussion. It is often claimed that 9 carat gold is harder than 18 carat, but this does not mean it is more durable. Gold rings can give many years of wear - a 'soft' 22 carat ring can easily last for more than 50 years, and the wearer can appreciate the fine colour and lustre of almost fine gold for the whole of that time!
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What is it that makes rose gold more reddish in colour?
Rose gold contains more copper than yellow gold, and less silver. For some alloys there may be adjustments in the balance of zinc too, but that is a very small part. Rose gold tends to tarnish more than yellow gold because of the tendency of copper to show up strongly as a black oxide ( for e.g. whereas iron rusts red, copper goes black)
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