REBUS creates handcrafted signet rings and shares why these rings are so personal

It is legitimate we really like symbolism and personalizing our jewellery. There are many strategies to do so, and signet rings have generally played their aspect. The world has a newfound appreciate for them as tendencies acquire and our fondness for focused or individualized jewelry grows. Rebus is a corporation specializing in signet rings and cufflinks. I sat down with Emmet Smith talking about his pretty enterprise.

I have been doing the job in the jewellery trade because 1986. My initial foray into the trade was at the Sir John Cass School of Art in Whitechapel, where I spent a yr learning jewelry layout and producing, stone environment, silversmithing, and hand engraving.

Emmeth Smith, REBUS

I promptly fell in like with hand engraving I would totally eliminate myself in a miniature earth I could generate. I then started off a 5-12 months apprenticeship with a firm in Hatton Backyard garden named R.H. Wilkins. Minor did I know then I would go on to purchase that corporation twelve a long time afterwards.

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”I commenced Rebus in 2005, mostly because of to the aggravation of staying sent inadequate-high quality signet rings to function on”

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Also, RH Wilkins was a B2B business enterprise. Having a workshop of incredibly proficient engravers, I desired to advertise the art of hand engraving specifically to the shopper who wears our jewellery. 

Rebus, a B2C jewelry brand name, permitted me to do just that. All my workforce enjoys functioning intently with our shoppers to create actually imaginative artworks that we then seal and engrave into the piece of Rebus jewellery we have designed for them. Every purchaser in the shop is invited to our workshop, where by they fulfill the craftspeople building their jewelry. They are always very fascinated in the engraving system and are astonished at the detail that can be reached with just little handheld chisels (gravers).

This immediate get hold of with the client presents me (specifically as I put in two many years in an out-of-sight workshop) and my staff a whole lot of satisfaction. 

We have very a massive staff for an impartial jewelry business. The workshop is beneath the retail outlet. Here we make and seal engrave the signet rings and other jewelry items. We have 8 engravers, a person of which is still serving her apprenticeship. The apprenticeship lasts 4-5 years, depending on age and preceding encounter. Our livery corporation, The Goldsmiths Hall, indentures our apprentices and provides them and us lots of assistance. The jewellery trade is a modest, incredibly supportive business whole of qualified craftsmen and artists.

We also have an in-residence output department and a product sales and layout team that is effective with our shoppers to flush out their ideas and provide sketches.

Rachel, one of the income team, and a person of the engravers get what we do on the road to the US, wherever we set up trunk shows in inns. They were off to LA and West Hollywood in June and took appointments at The London Resort.   

I presently expend a good deal of time living in Crete and have obtained two pet dogs, a border collie (Kenny) and a mixed-breed shepherd pet (Dolly). The two dogs ended up abandoned Dolly will have to have been 2-3 months old when I discovered her in an olive grove. Kenny was somewhere around a year old when I uncovered him operating about a mountain road. I suspect he escaped from his past operator. Sad to say, in rural spots, the pet dogs are still left tied up in olive groves or fields unwanted puppies are often discarded. 

This story is from Matthew Hart, a person of our master engravers who is accompanying Rachel on the US trunk demonstrate, who had his pet engraved on his personal signet ring:

My mom had a fox terrier as a boy or girl and constantly needed a different. So 1 day, we uncovered some fox terrier puppies for sale. Straight absent, we observed Ted and experienced to have him. We named him ‘Ted’ mainly because (other than seeking like a teddy bear), I was observing loads of Father Ted at the time, and it was involving Ted or Doogle. Ted is now 6.

Signet Rings are extremely personal I made a signet ring in memory of my father. 

This is my personalized variation of a mourning ring in the spirit of Momento Mori (I currently have another signet ring that has the motto Momento Vivere ‘remember to live’ engraved into it). My father, Philip Smith (aka Dickie, Detsy, the Captain), died in 2019, and I determined to design and style a signet ring in his memory that I could put on day-to-day and keep in mind him.

The condition is a larger variation of the Rebus Marquise, it is manufactured from 18K yellow gold, and I have used vitreous white and environmentally friendly/grey enamel.

On 1 shoulder, I carved an ear. I took this notion following viewing a museum in Berlin, exactly where there is a permanent historic Egyptian exhibition. I figured out the Egyptians’ use of the ear as an icon was popular in their art, wall carvings, and worn as amulets. These hearing or ‘Sacred Ears’ were carved into walls of temples so that folks would have the ear of their deity, to share a concept with the gods and goddess.

The symbolism of ear amulets is not constantly properly recognized, but I like the edition that it represents a man or woman and is as a result related to that human being. I from time to time hum a tune or say a couple of words into ‘his ear’ it is a comfort for me. Not to mention it would attraction to my Dad’s feeling of humor and would make me chuckle sometimes.

I chose white enamel on the prime surface area, as applied in classic Victorian memento mori jewellery. In the white enamel are elevated gold letters that say ‘Not by Words.’ I was a bit of a tearaway, but he would constantly give me a hug in periods of difficulty. He didn’t require to say a word they were avoidable. The phase also is aspect of the Latin motto where by I took the name Rebus from ‘Non verbis, sed Rebus,’ not by words and phrases but by concepts or photos.

In the center of the ring is a dim inexperienced colored enamel, which references Eire Dad was a very proud Irishman. The use of white enamel all over green presents the signet ring an overall look of an eye, a good quality that was not planned, but I’ve often loved attractive blunders.

Below the eco-friendly enamel is an engraved impression of a doorway. Right after Dad died, I discovered just one of his notebooks. His initial and only entry was a sonnet he copied, which he may have go through from a person of his publications. At the conclusion of the sonnet, he wrote it was a person of the most lovely poems he experienced go through. It is known as:

When I am lifeless and laid at last to rest by Gamel Woolsey

There is a line: ‘As air that quickens at the opened doorway,’ which struck a chord with me, and of training course, the picture of a door is a effective image and metaphor.

Our two hearts engraved into the door have to have no rationalization.

I wear this ring each individual working day. I’m not concluded but. I have a different shoulder I could carve one working day, and I approach to place a message within the shank. He beloved Neil Young, so possibly a line from 1 of his preferred music.

This signet ring is a reminder, a conversation, and a tribute to our really like. Father and son.

Gail and Sophie gifted every single other a ring with their dogs on it. Designed and created by Rebus

Definitely sure, our stone setter fosters rescue pet dogs and regularly delivers them in. Also, Kate from the gross sales workforce at times walks her puppies to get the job done. So, we have two upstairs on occasion and a person downstairs. The Rebus retail store is found on a current market road (Leather-based Lane, in central London) that is well acknowledged for its stunning food items stalls. I bet the canines adore coming to do the job!