Category: Personalised Rings
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Personalised rings South Africa
Made to order in the Aria Jewellery Palace workshop in Cape Town, delivered insured nationwide. Nine designs from R1,250 to R18,995, carrying a name, a set of initials, a monogram or an actual fingerprint.
A ring is the hardest thing on this site to personalise, and it is worth being honest about why. It has to fit a specific finger to within about half a size. It gets used, because hands do everything. And once a name has been cut around the band, that band usually cannot be altered without distorting the letters.
None of that is a reason to avoid one. It is a reason to spend two minutes on sizing before you spend anything else. The rest of this page is about getting that right, then choosing between the two things a personalised ring can be.
The wider range sits in personalised jewellery, alongside personalised necklaces and personalised bracelets.
The nine designs
Each design is offered in more than one metal, and the price shown is the starting point, which is sterling silver on the silver designs.
Two kinds of personalised ring
Everything here is one of two things, and they behave completely differently once they are on a hand.
| Name rings | Signet rings | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The letters form the band, or sit raised on it | A solid flat face carrying an engraving |
| Read from | Across a room | Close up, or by touch |
| Catches on things | Yes, script letters have edges | No, the face is smooth |
| Can be resized later | Rarely without distorting the letters | Usually yes, since the shank is plain |
| Suits | Someone who wants the name to be the object | Someone who wants it permanent and quiet |
If you take one thing from this page, take that resizing row. A name ring is a piece to buy in the right size once. A signet is a piece that can follow a hand through the decades, which is exactly why signets became heirlooms in the first place.
Signet rings, and what goes on the face
A signet was originally a working object. The face carried a family mark, it was pressed into wax to seal a letter, and it proved who had sent it. That is why the engraving on a traditional signet is cut in reverse, and why the tradition of wearing one on the little finger survives.
Aria makes them in two faces. The 13mm round is the full size and the traditional shape, at R1,560 in sterling silver and R18,995 in solid gold. The 8x10mm oval at R12,910 is the smaller ladies proportion.
Four things commonly go on the face. A single initial, which is the cleanest and reads best at 13mm. A pair of initials or a monogram, where the letters interlock. A date, usually cut smaller and lower on the face. Or a family crest, if one exists, which needs to be sent as a clear image so it can be assessed before quoting.
What does not work is a long word. A signet face is smaller in the metal than it looks in a photograph, and the moment lettering shrinks below a certain size it stops reading as a mark and starts reading as clutter. One or two characters is the tradition for a reason.
Fingerprint rings
Two designs here carry an actual fingerprint at R1,995, and they work differently from each other.
The engraved band takes the print around the outside of a plain ring, so it wraps the finger and is felt as much as seen. The fingerprint signet puts the same print on a flat face, where it sits larger and the ridge detail is clearer.
To make either, we need a usable print. Ink on plain paper, pressed once and firmly without rolling the finger, then photographed straight on in daylight. Send it before ordering if you can, because we would rather tell you the image is too faint than work around it and produce something soft.
Most of these are ordered for one of two reasons. A new parent wanting a child’s print on their own hand, or someone carrying the print of a person who has died. If it is the second, message us instead of using the order form and we will handle the whole thing directly with you.
Why sizing matters more here
An ordinary ring that arrives a size out is a minor inconvenience, because it gets resized. A personalised ring is different, and the difference is worth understanding before you order.
On a cut name ring the letters run around the band, so making the band larger stretches the spacing between letters and making it smaller crowds them. Neither is invisible. On a broad bar ring the flat section stays the same length while the shank changes, which limits how far it can move. On a signet the shank is plain, so it resizes like any other ring.
The practical rule is that signets are forgiving and name rings are not. If you cannot get a reliable size and the recipient is not standing next to you, choose a signet, or choose a piece from personalised necklaces where sizing does not apply at all.
Send us the size before you order, not after. The safest method is to borrow a ring the person already wears on the finger you are buying for and send us the inside measurement across the middle in millimetres, or post it to us and we will measure it exactly. A ring sizer costs almost nothing and settles it completely. What does not work is guessing from a photograph, using a ring worn on a different finger without saying so, or measuring on a cold morning, since fingers are at their smallest then and at their largest late in a warm day. If you are unsure between two sizes on a name ring, tell us and we will advise rather than default.
Getting a size without giving the surprise away
People manage this constantly, so here are the methods that actually work.
Borrow a ring she wears on that finger while she is in the shower and trace the inside circle onto paper, or press it into a bar of soap. Both give us something measurable. If she wears rings on several fingers, tell us which finger the borrowed ring lives on, because sizes differ by one to two letters across the same hand.
Ask a friend or a sister, who almost always knows. Or buy a cheap ring sizer, leave it lying around, and let curiosity do the work. For a man, a signet in a mid range size is the safer choice, since it resizes afterwards without argument.
If it all fails, we would rather make the ring slightly large than slightly small. A loose ring can be worn on another finger until it is adjusted. A tight one cannot go on at all.
Which finger
| Finger | What suits it | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Little finger | Signet rings | The traditional home for a signet, and where most men wear one |
| Index finger | Broad bar and statement name rings | Takes width well, and the ring is seen constantly by the wearer |
| Middle finger | Name rings | The largest size on the hand, so measure this one specifically |
| Ring finger | Fingerprint bands | Sits alongside a wedding band without competing |
| Thumb | Wide plain bands | A different size entirely, usually several letters larger |
The little finger point matters when buying a signet as a gift. It takes a much smaller size than the ring finger on the same hand, so a size borrowed from the wrong finger produces a ring that will not go on.
Metal, and why plated is a poor idea on a ring
Hands do the work. A ring gets more contact in a week than a pendant gets in a year, which changes the metal advice sharply compared with anything worn on a chain.
Sterling silver is the sensible everyday choice and what most of these start in. It marks, and it polishes back, indefinitely. Solid 9ct gold is harder, holds its face longer and is what a signet meant as an heirloom should be made in. Both can be worked on, repaired and resized for as long as anyone owns them.
Gold plating on a ring is the one combination worth avoiding. Plating wears through fastest exactly where a ring rubs, which is the underside of the shank and the raised edge of any lettering, and on a piece with someone’s name on it that wear shows up as a two tone name rather than an even fade. If it has to look gold and it will be worn daily, buy solid gold in a narrower band rather than plated in a wider one.
Inside or outside
Engraving inside the band is the older tradition and still the better one for anything private. A date, a set of initials or a short line sits against the skin, invisible to everyone else, and it survives untouched because nothing rubs the inside of a ring except the finger.
Outside engraving is for the pieces meant to be read, which is signets and broad bars. It wears very slowly on solid metal, and what makes it hard to read over time is residue collecting in the cut rather than the cut disappearing.
You can have both, and plenty of people do. Initials on the face, a date inside where only the wearer knows it is there.
The Dad Ring Chain
The Dad Ring Chain at R2,250 is the unusual piece in this collection, and it exists for a specific situation. It is a ring worn on a chain around the neck rather than on a finger.
That solves three problems. A ring that no longer fits, because hands change and an inherited band rarely fits the person who inherits it. A ring that cannot be worn at work, which applies to anyone in a trade, a kitchen or a hospital. And a memorial piece, where wearing someone’s ring on your own hand feels wrong but keeping it in a drawer feels worse.
If you have a ring of your own you would like to wear this way, bring it in. Choosing the right chain gauge for the weight of the ring is the only real decision, and the chains and necklaces collection covers it.
What these get bought for
| Occasion | What people choose | From |
|---|---|---|
| A first Fathers Day | A fingerprint band with the baby’s print | R1,995 |
| A push present | A name ring with the child’s name | R1,250 |
| A 21st or a graduation | A signet with an initial, in silver now and gold later | R1,560 |
| An anniversary | A broad bar with the date across it | R2,595 |
| A memorial | A fingerprint signet, or a ring rehoused on a chain | R1,995 |
| An heirloom to start deliberately | A solid gold signet, engraved once and passed on | R12,910 |
The signet in silver now and gold later route is worth knowing about. A silver signet at R1,560 given at 21 does the job completely, and the same design in solid gold becomes the 40th birthday version of the same idea.
Turning an existing ring into a personal one
Plenty of the ring work in the workshop is not a new piece at all. A plain band already owned can be engraved inside. An inherited signet with a worn face can be re engraved, which restores a piece that looks finished. And a ring that no longer fits can be resized and engraved at the same time.
Bring the piece in or send photographs with a description of what you want. We will tell you honestly if a band is too thin to engrave safely or if a worn face has too little metal left, because both happen and both are better raised beforehand.
Caring for an engraved ring
Engraving fills with soap, hand cream and everything else a hand touches, and that is what makes lettering hard to read rather than any wearing away of the metal. A soft toothbrush with warm water and a drop of dish soap clears the cut and the engraving looks new again.
Take a name ring off for the gym, for gardening and for anything that grips, because cut letters bend where a plain band would not. Take any ring off before swimming, since chlorine attacks the alloys in silver and gold alike. And on the rare plated piece, use nothing abrasive at all.
Explore the collection
Product counts are live.
Delivery
Free insured delivery anywhere in South Africa, tracked from the Table View workshop to your door, including Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha and Bloemfontein. Collection is welcome. Everything here is made after you order, so tell us your deadline at the point of ordering rather than afterwards.
Questions
Can a personalised ring be resized?
A signet usually can, because the shank is plain. A cut name ring usually cannot without distorting the letter spacing, which is why the size has to be right at the outset.
How do I find out their ring size secretly?
Borrow a ring worn on the correct finger and send us the inside measurement, trace it, or press it into soap. Tell us which finger it came from, since sizes differ across the same hand.
What if I am between two sizes?
Tell us. On most designs we advise going slightly larger, because a loose ring can be worn until adjusted while a tight one cannot be worn at all.
What is a signet ring?
A ring with a flat face, originally used to press a family mark into wax to seal letters. Today the face carries initials, a monogram, a date, a crest or a fingerprint.
How many letters fit on a signet face?
One or two read best. Three is possible on a 13mm face as a monogram. A word or a full name shrinks the lettering to the point where it stops reading clearly.
Which finger does a signet go on?
Traditionally the little finger, which takes a much smaller size than the ring finger. If you are buying as a gift, get the size from that finger specifically.
How does the fingerprint ring work?
You send a clear print, easiest as ink on white paper photographed straight on. We confirm it is usable, then engrave the actual ridge pattern into the band or the signet face.
Can you use the fingerprint of someone who has passed away?
Yes, where a print exists. Message us directly rather than ordering online and we will take you through it.
Should I choose silver or gold?
Silver for everyday wear and for a first signet. Solid gold for a piece meant to be inherited. Avoid gold plating on a ring, since it wears through where the shank rubs.
Can I engrave inside the band?
Yes, and it is the better choice for anything private. A date or initials inside survives untouched and is invisible to everyone else.
Can you engrave a ring I already own?
Often, yes. Bring it in or send photographs. We will tell you if the band is too thin or the face too worn to engrave safely.
Can a worn signet be re engraved?
Usually, provided there is enough metal left in the face. It is one of the most satisfying jobs in the workshop, because it brings an inherited piece back into use.
Can I return a personalised ring?
Not once it is made, since it carries specific wording or a specific print. If we make it wrong, we remake it.
What is the Dad Ring Chain?
A ring worn on a chain around the neck rather than on a finger. It suits a ring that no longer fits, a job where rings cannot be worn, or a piece kept in memory of someone.
How long does a personalised ring take?
It depends on the design and the workshop queue, so we confirm a date when you order. Tell us your deadline before you buy.
Do you deliver across South Africa?
Yes, free and fully insured with tracking, to any address in the country.
Keep looking
Personalised. All personalised jewellery, personalised necklaces and personalised bracelets.
More rings. All rings, gold rings, sterling silver rings and tanzanite rings.
For the wedding. Engagement rings, wedding rings, mens wedding rings and bespoke work.
The wider ranges. Gold jewellery, sterling silver jewellery, chains and necklaces and mens jewellery.
