The Sussex Roman Figure Signet

Crafted for the Present:

• Museum-Quality Replica: An authentic 1:1 historical reproduction cast directly from the original British artifact.

• Bench-Made to Order: Hand-forged to your exact specifications at our Leeds Corn Exchange workshop. Preserving the past, forging the future.

• Guaranteed Authenticity: Independently tested and legally hallmarked by the UK Assay Office in your choice of Solid Silver, 9ct, or 18ct Gold.

The History of the Find:

​Period: 1st – 2nd Century AD (Early Roman Britain)

​Find Location: Sussex, UK

Style: Oval bezel with incised figurative intaglio

Significance of the Design:

• In the Roman world, a seal ring was more than jewellery; it was a legal “signature.” The central figure on this ring is a stylized “Pseudo-Intaglio.” While wealthy Romans used engraved gemstones, the broader population used copper alloy rings with figures cast or hand-cut directly into the metal.

  ​The figure – likely a depiction of a deity, hero, or celestial messenger—was chosen to reflect the wearer’s personal values or to seek divine protection. When pressed into hot wax, this figure created a unique, raised seal that secured letters and verified trade agreements. In Sussex, home to major Roman administrative centres like Chichester (Noviomagus Reginorum), such a ring would have been a common sight in the bustling markets and villas of the South Coast.

The Find: 

Discovered by a metal detectorist in the Sussex countryside, this artifact was found as a “headless” bezel, having lost its original band to the stresses of time and soil movement nearly two millennia ago. The surviving oval plate features a wonderfully clear, elongated figure that still retains the sharp, decisive lines of the Roman engraver’s tool.