Sell signet rings by post — plain or engraved, any carat

Signet rings carry more metal per piece than almost any other category of UK personal jewellery. The substantial top of the ring — the engraving surface — is what defines the design, and it is usually thick enough to take a deep crest or initial engraving. A solid 9ct signet ring for a man's hand typically weighs 8 to 14 grams. A solid 18ct version of the same design can run from 12 to over 20 grams. Women's signets and pinky-finger signets are smaller but still weight-substantial relative to most rings.

Hollow signet rings exist in 9ct retail jewellery from the 1970s onwards. They weigh roughly half of equivalent solid pieces. The XRF reading sees the same gold purity regardless of construction; the scale reads the actual weight, so hollow signets value at their actual weight, not a notional solid equivalent.

Most British signet rings carry an engraved initial, monogram or family crest. The engraving does not change the metal value — the gold is weighed regardless of surface detail. Where the engraving is a recognisable heraldic crest with documented family provenance, the piece can have antique-market value above scrap, particularly if the ring is Georgian or early Victorian.

Pieces with worn or partially-defaced engravings (a school crest from a long-defunct institution, an unidentified monogram, a worn military insignia) are valued at scrap because the antique market for them is too narrow. The XRF reading and weight are unaffected.

A meaningful share of older British signet rings carry a set stone in place of an engraving surface: typically bloodstone (dark green with red flecks), black onyx, sardonyx or carnelian. The stone is set as a flat tablet, occasionally itself engraved with the initial or crest.

The stone on a signet ring is usually a hardstone of low market value; the metal mount is where the value sits. The written offer notes the stone and assesses it for any unusual condition (Victorian intaglio engraving on a carnelian, for example, can have collector value), but the per-gram rate on the gold is the figure that dominates.

Signet rings are often inherited as a single piece from a father or grandfather. The ring may not fit any current family member, may carry an initial no longer relevant, or may simply not suit the inheritor's style. The metal value is meaningful regardless — a substantial solid 18ct signet at current rates routinely values in the hundreds of pounds, sometimes the low four figures.

If the ring has identifiable family-crest provenance and a clear British maker mark, we flag the antique-market option on the written offer. The metal scrap value is shown for transparency. The decision on which route to take is yours.