The most memorable gifts are rarely the most obvious ones. They are the pieces that could only ever have belonged to one person — chosen for their tastes, their history, the things they love and the stories that are theirs alone.

A signet ring can carry a centuries-old family crest, or diamonds can become stars in a constellation engraving. A pendant might hide a message on its reverse. An antique desk seal can be gifted to someone embarking on a new chapter. Or, for the impossible to buy for, we can create something entirely bespoke.

So, whether you're shopping for the traditionalist, the maximalist, the superstitious or simply the person who seemingly has everything, consider this our guide to finding them something rather more personal this Christmas.

Planning ahead? Find all our Christmas commission deadlines here.

For the traditionalist: (L) A coat of arms engraved on our bestselling Oxford Oval 55 Signet Ring in yellow gold. (R) For a different take on the classic, a coat of arms engraved on our Cushion Signet Ring.

For the traditionalist

They know which fork to use, still send thank-you notes and may already know where the family crest can be found.

This is signet-ring territory in its most traditional form. A classic signet, seal engraved by hand with a family crest, coat of arms, or monogram, connects them to generations past — and becomes an heirloom for generations to come.

When you picture a traditional signet ring, chances are you're picturing something rather like our Oxford 55. The oval is our bestselling signet shape for good reason: beautifully proportioned, substantial on the hand and particularly well suited to the detail of heraldic engraving. If there's a coat of arms involved, this is where we'd start.

If the family history is slightly hazier, that needn't be the end of it. Our team can help research existing heraldry before our artists prepare the design for engraving.

Some traditions, after all, are worth keeping.

For the rule breaker: (L) A playful pig motif gives our classic Oxford Oval an unexpected twist. (R) A tiger engraving with emerald details on our slimmer Oxford Court Signet Ring.

For the rule breaker

The signet ring has been around for thousands of years. There is absolutely no requirement to wear it as though it has.

An animal, a flower with particular significance, a cultural motif, a favourite place or a portrait of the dog can all become an engraving. We've created designs around birth flowers, zodiac references, contemporary lettering and reminders of home — deeply personal needn't mean traditional.

The rules are equally loose when it comes to the ring itself. Our Oxford Court is a slimmer, lighter alternative to the classic Oxford 55 for someone who doesn't want their signet to dominate the hand. A Landscape Oval gives an engraved scene room to unfold, while the Portrait offers a less conventional set of proportions. There are plenty more shapes besides; the design should lead the choice.

And then there are stones. Bloodstone or cornelian might be the old-school choice, but hematite or red-and-white sardonyx can shift the mood entirely, giving a more contemporary engraving an equally distinctive backdrop.

Two thousand years of signet-ring history is plenty to borrow from. There's no need to obey all of it.

For the maximalist: (L) Our sculptural Nova Signet Ring in lapis lazuli. (R) A bespoke marquise-cut pietersite signet ring, flanked by 0.25ct rub-over-set diamonds on each shoulder.

For the maximalist

You know the person. If there's an option to add another stone, another diamond or another layer of detail, the answer is probably yes.

Start with the Nova, whose raised, banded shoulders and sculptural proportions give the signet something of the presence of a vintage cocktail ring. 

Or take things further with our Bespoke Jewellery Service, where a piece can be designed from the ground up: an unusual stone, diamonds set into the shoulders, engraving that travels beyond the face of the ring, or ornament covering almost every available surface.

This is not the moment for restraint.

For the diamond lover: (L) A bespoke Scorpio and Taurus zodiac ring in yellow gold, with a diamond-set constellation woven into the design. (R) Our Oxford Oval Signet Ring paired with a pavé-set diamond Eternity Keeper Ring.

For the diamond lover

Some people require very little persuasion where diamonds are concerned.

They can be the main event — pavé set around the edge of a pendant or running along the shoulders of a signet — but some of our favourite uses are less expected. A diamond can pick out a detail in a completely bespoke design or add a tiny point of light which you only notice on second look.

If you happen to know their star sign, all the better. We've previously combined zodiac engraving with diamonds marking its constellation — a particularly beautiful way to write it in the stars.

For something with a little more sparkle, our diamond-set Era signets offer a particularly brilliant starting point, while an Eternity Keeper can sit alongside a signet they already own. And for those with wandering loyalties, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and tsavorites bring plenty more colour to the equation.

For the history buff: (L) An antique purple agate and gilt desk seal from our Matrix Collection, in collaboration with Sigillum Seals. (R) Our Era Cushion Signet Ring in yellow gold, inspired by antique Romanesque rings in the British Museum.

For the history buff

They can lose an afternoon in an antiques market, have at least one historical rabbit hole they know far too much about and have been known to point out inaccuracies in period dramas.

If that sounds like your loved one, there are plenty of centuries of signet ring styles to choose from. 

Our Era rings take their inspiration from antique Romanesque rings in the British Museum, with their distinctive banded shoulders and bevelled faces. The Century jumps forward several hundred years, its scalloped silhouette inspired by an antique ring discovered in the Rebus workshop and the glamour of 1920s Art Deco.

Or look further back still. Stones such as cornelian have been used for engraved gems since antiquity, lending a little history to the ring whether it bears a classical motif — from Athena to a Roman centurion — or something altogether more contemporary.

Then there's the Keeper, a style traced to Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, who wore a diamond-set band above her engagement ring to keep it securely in place.

For the person who prefers their history with a little more patina, look to the Matrix Collection. In collaboration with Sigillum Seals, it brings together antique desk seals in stones including agate, crystal and bloodstone. Each is an object with a life behind it already, and selected examples can be hand engraved at Rebus to begin another.

Proof, perhaps, that the best presents don't necessarily have to be new.

For the superstitious: (L) A bespoke Cushion Signet Ring in yellow gold, with lucky number 13 engraved on the shoulders. (R) Our Century Signet Ring in white gold, engraved with an Ouroboros design.

For the superstitious

You might consider Friday the 13th an entirely ordinary day. Unfortunately, the person you're buying for does not.

For the friend who has a lucky number, reads meaning into coincidences or wouldn't dream of travelling without their favourite talisman, an engraving can turn those little beliefs into something rather beautiful.

We've engraved lucky numbers, horseshoes and symbols such as the ouroboros, worn for centuries for its associations with renewal and eternity. Or look to familiar talismans including the hamsa, hope's anchor and tree of life, each carrying its own associations with protection, hope and good fortune.

Whether or not you share their superstitions is beside the point. Think of choosing the right one as excellent Christmas karma.

For the one who won't wear a signet ring: (L) Chain-link cufflinks in yellow gold, hand engraved with a monogram. (R) An Oval Pendant in yellow gold, set with carnelian and engraved with an initial.

For the one who won't wear a signet ring

You know their taste. You know their jewellery. And you know, however beautiful the engraving, a signet ring simply isn't them.

Fortunately, the same ideas can live elsewhere. Our round, oval and shield pendants can be engraved by hand with initials, heraldry or an entirely original design, whether in precious metal, set with stone or finished with a pavé diamond surround.

Cufflinks offer another canvas for engraving, from a pair of initials to a family crest or something more unexpected.

And if there is already a significant signet ring in the family, our bespoke amulet service offers another possibility. We can take an impression from an existing Rebus ring and recreate its seal as a precious-metal pendant — allowing someone to carry the same design without wearing the ring itself.

For the one who has everything: (L) A bespoke platinum ring with a unicorn seal engraved into emerald-green jadeite, surrounded by 24 channel-set diamonds. (R) A bespoke Marquise ring in 18ct yellow gold, finished with white vitreous and dark green enamel.

For the one who has everything

There comes a point at which finding something they don't already own becomes a losing game. So make something that doesn't exist.

While every Rebus can be made personal, our Bespoke Jewellery Service goes beyond the existing collection, allowing us to create a piece from the ground up — from unusual proportions and one-off settings to exceptional stones and entirely original designs.

One such commission transformed the idea of a signet into a platinum cocktail ring, centred on a large emerald-green jadeite face engraved with a unicorn and surrounded by diamonds.

Another, designed by Rebus founder Emmet Smith in memory of his father, took the Marquise as its starting point and transformed it through enamel and deeply personal engraving — including an Egyptian-inspired ear on the shoulder of the ring.

And sometimes it is simply a matter of taking detail further with engraved shoulders, unusual stones or continuing ornament across a ring until almost no surface is left untouched.

Consider the usual rules officially suspended.

For the impossible to buy for & their first Rebus: (L) The Rebus Gift Box, for when you'd rather let them choose for themselves. (R) Our bestselling Oxford Oval 55 signet ring in sterling silver, shown in a range of sizes.

For the impossible-to-buy-for

Perhaps they're particular. Perhaps you'd rather let them choose the engraving themselves. Perhaps you've spent six weeks thinking about their present and are somehow no closer to an answer.

This is why we created the Rebus Gift Box.

Rather than guessing their finger size, preferred metal, favourite stone and what they might want engraved on something they'll potentially wear for the rest of their life, give them the experience of creating it themselves.

Beautifully presented for Christmas, the box includes everything they need to begin their Rebus journey after the festivities, when they can work with us to choose the ring and develop the design.

It is thoughtful, personal and virtually impossible to get wrong.

It also has the considerable advantage of rescuing the very last-minute Christmas shopper.

For their first Rebus

Everyone has to start somewhere. And if this Christmas is the one that puts their first Rebus under the tree, sterling silver is a beautiful place to begin.

The same Rebus forms, the same possibilities for personalisation and the same hand engraving, in a precious metal that makes a first commission a little more accessible. Keep things classic with an Oxford or Cushion signet, or choose another of our signature shapes and let the engraving make it theirs.

There is no requirement for the first Rebus to be the last.

A note on Christmas commissions

The more we do to a piece, the more time we need to make it.

While you may now have missed the deadline for engraved stone-set rings and pendants, we will be taking commissions until the end of October for deep seal engraving on precious-metal signet rings, cufflinks and pendants, while stone-set pieces that don't require engraving can still be ordered.

Into November, there is still time for surface engraving on precious-metal pieces, alongside later gifting options including unengraved jewellery and ready-to-wear pieces.

And if December has arrived rather more quickly than anticipated, don't panic just yet. Plain and unengraved pieces, selected ready-to-wear gifts, antique desk seals and our Gift Box may all offer later options, subject to availability and our final UK and international Christmas delivery dates.

If you have something particular in mind and aren't sure which deadline applies, speak to the team. We'll continue taking Christmas commissions for as long as we can realistically create and deliver your piece in time.

Get in touch at info@rebussignetrings.co.uk or book an appointment at our Hatton Garden workshop, or via Zoom, to begin your Rebus journey.