Fides Ring

$360.00

This bold ring is based on an example dating to before AD 79 and found in the excavations at the Roman town of Herculaneum, in the Bay of Naples area. It may be engraved with one initial letter of your choice, in Roman font type. If you would like your ring engraved, please specify the initial letter in the Special Instructions area of this page. Our ring is available in sizes 8 - 14.

The Romans, like other ancient cultures, used rings with special and personalized designs on them, "signet" rings, as a form of self-identification. Often incised into the stone or metal, the designs on the front of the rings were often letters that spelled out a name or an idea, or symbols such as images of gods or personifications that meant something to the individual - or that recalled the person's own name in a clever way. As these designs (and therefore the rings) were personalized, they became a type of signature or an official mark of the individual, when pressed into hot wax on a document.

"Some there are who heap several rings upon the little finger alone; while others, again, wear but one ring upon this finger, the ring that sets a seal upon the signet ring itself." - Pliny the Elder (first century AD), Natural History 33.6

"Fides" means "faith, trust, reliability."

Ring Details

Ring face: 7 x 7 mm (.3 x .3 in)

Diameter of shank at the back: 3 mm (.12 in)

Available Precious Metals and Prices

925 Sterling Silver: $220

18 Karat Gold Over Sterling Silver: $360

14 Karat Gold: $820

18 Karat Gold: $1,150

Gold and Silver Type
Size