A monogram doing its second century of service in 1920, engraved onto this antique signet ring.
Letters are jewelry's oldest personalisation: a monogram, initials interlaced into one device, turns an object into somebody's object. Signets, lockets, cufflinks and pendants have carried them for centuries, and the antique market's supposed problem, "but they are not my initials", is, I will argue, the best feature of the whole genre.
The monogram traditions
| Form | The tradition |
|---|---|
| Signet rings | Engraved initials or cyphers, once for sealing wax, per the signet guide |
| Initial lockets | A single bold letter on the case, the loved one's or the wearer's |
| Cufflinks and studs | The gentleman's monogram at the wrist, often mirrored pairs |
| Pendants and charms | Letters as jewels in their own right, diamond-set at the top end |
| Cyphers and interlaced monograms | Two or more initials woven into one design, the couple's device |
The craft peaked when engraving was a profession: Victorian and early twentieth-century monograms are miniature calligraphy, letters mirrored, interlaced and flourished so densely they read as ornament first and text second, which is half their charm and occasionally their riddle, the AR-or-RA ambiguity of the carnelian signet below being entirely period-typical.
AR or RA? Period monograms rather enjoy the ambiguity. carnelian signet ring lets period monograms keep their ambiguity.
Someone else's initials: the case for keeping them
The market divides here, and I stand firmly on one side. An antique monogram is provenance struck into the piece: evidence that a real person owned it, dated it, sealed letters with it, the same evidentiary logic as inscriptions in lockets and wedding bands. Erasing it, having old engraving polished off for re-cutting, removes metal, softens the piece and deletes exactly the history that separates an antique from a blank. The alternatives are better in every direction: wear the stranger's monogram as the historical feature it is, a conversation piece with a century of service; hunt the pleasant sport of initial-matching, finding an antique that happens to carry your letters; or choose pieces where the letter was always decorative, initial lockets especially, where a bold G is simply a beautiful G.
A single letter, used as ornament. Swedish initial locket lets a bold G shine on its own.
Buying and commissioning
Buying antique: judge the engraving's depth and crispness, worn-to-ghost monograms have spent their beauty, and let deep crisp cutting carry a premium, since it is the artwork. Check that later re-engraving has not thinned the metal, and read any hallmarks alongside, the usual marks date the letters' fashion. Commissioning new engraving on a blank antique, a plain signet face, an unengraved locket, is legitimate and traditional; commissioning it over an old monogram is the one move I counsel against, for the reasons above. And the giving tradition remains the genre's engine: initials are the most personal gift jewelry makes at any budget, which four centuries of monogrammed christening spoons, lockets and rings agree on.
Frequently asked questions
Is it strange to wear jewelry with someone else's initials?
It is collecting: the monogram documents the piece's first life, exactly like an inscription or hallmark. Many collectors prize a fine stranger's monogram over a blank face.
Can old engraving be removed?
Physically yes, by polishing metal away, and I advise against it: it thins the piece, softens details and erases provenance. Re-engrave blanks, not history.
How do I read an interlaced monogram?
Look for the dominant letter (usually the surname, centred and largest in many traditions), then untangle the flourishes. Period monograms tolerate ambiguity, mirrored and reversible readings were fashionable.
Are monogrammed pieces worth less?
Slightly, in the general market, which makes them bargains; crisp period engraving on good pieces increasingly carries its own premium among collectors who know what the calligraphy cost.
What is a cypher?
A monogram's formal cousin: initials interlaced into a single decorative device, often mirrored, the form used by royalty and engravers at full stretch.
What should I have engraved on a new signet?
Tradition offers initials, a family crest where one exists, or a personal symbol. Deep engraving in a classic style ages best, and the next century's collector will thank you for dating it inside.
Read next: What is a signet ring? · What is a locket? · How to date antique jewelry
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