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Gold signet rings the upper middle class wear on their little finger

139 replies

HanneHolm · 16/12/2013 11:06

why? where from what for?
and has no one pointed out they are one step away from a MOM signet ring from Lizzy duke?

OP posts:
MissBeehiving · 16/12/2013 20:52

I have a family crest AND tartan AND I CAN GET IT PUT ON A MOUSEMAT!

WillPenn · 16/12/2013 20:53

Definitely with HannahHolm on this one - the red trouser and the signet ring are natural partners in my (extensive) experience.

I think the problem is they are not worn in an unassuming manner - they are part of the "posh" uniform of the entitled.

TheCurseOfTinsel · 16/12/2013 20:54

erm, beg to differ.

coats of arms can most definitely be granted to families. I have the actual arms upstairs, stating this.

dexter73 · 16/12/2013 20:54

I think I might get a cloak made up from the family tartan and go a bit Braveheart (in Oxfordshire).

TheCurseOfTinsel · 16/12/2013 20:56

And I didn't claim it was all about heraldry and genealogy. I said that people who can legitimately wear arms tend to know a bit about genealogy/heraldry (if they do actually wear arms), and so can spot the ones who have got any old crest mocke dup on a bit of jewellery.

BillStickersIsInnocent · 16/12/2013 20:57

Now I want one.

dexter73 · 16/12/2013 20:59

Here you go Bill.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 16/12/2013 21:00

thecurse - I think I am right saying that a coat of arms is actually recorded. You're granted the right to bear arms, and you can record what arms you want to bear.

Then, you need to use a difference for different members of the family.

I could be wrong, I guess. What I know about heraldry is the formal stuff, not the Baroness Thatcher/Lord Sugar 'bought a knighthood' stuff.

curse - fair enough, I'm sure you are correct.

MissBeehiving · 16/12/2013 21:00

Maybe we could have a meeting of the clans dexter? In the mist on a hill somewhere? Wearing our ancestral tartan.

"You can take my freedom, but YOU'LL NEVER TAKE MY BARCLAYCARD"

BeginnerSAHM · 16/12/2013 21:00

Just read through some of the posts. 'Raped and pillaged successfully'?! You can't get much more judgmental than that really. I can't even be bothered to explain how our family got their crest (a couple of hundred years ago - nothing to do with anybody I ever knew) and haven't mentioned it to anybody I know actually. My brother is very sweet, normal and self-deprecating and would never wear red trousers. And i wouldn't care if he did. He just loved his grandad and isn't ashamed of his family. I know people post on here anonymously and light heartedly but I am quite surprised at how ignorant and superior some people sound.

Ok, rant over. Will resume only posting on more frivolous fashion and beauty issues...Wink

charitygirl · 16/12/2013 21:01

Snort. Not a fan. I know it's 'posh' but I do think it looks naff and flash.

BillStickersIsInnocent · 16/12/2013 21:02

That is well classy.

I quite like the wheat sheaf, looks authentically aristocratic (in a land owning way)

Liking the sound of the Oxfordshire Braveheart Grin

dexter73 · 16/12/2013 21:03

MissBeehiving - I'm there. just tell me where and when! It needs to be in the South though as I'm a soft Southerner and the thought of going further north than Banbury fills me with the fear! Maybe White Horse Hill?

MissBeehiving · 16/12/2013 21:03

My dad has several pairs of red trousers oh the shame

Maybe they're ancestral too

AthelstaneTheUnreadyFucker · 16/12/2013 21:04

We have a crest. Hmm And a shield. Hmm

Doesn't mean any more than not having one means. Perhaps 200 years ago, but not now.

MissBeehiving · 16/12/2013 21:06

We used to have a family seat in Banbury sheltered housing near the coffee factory. Sounds a marvellous venue for a clan up. Lunch at the pub?

stubbs0412 · 16/12/2013 21:07

There's a person I'm acquainted with that I soon decided I considered "up her own arse" ..... She wears a signet ring.

TheCurseOfTinsel · 16/12/2013 21:08

LRD - not always, although usually, yes (re: right to wear amrs/differnece needed for family members etc) It does depend on what is recorded on the arms, though.

It is not common, I agree. However, it is possible - dh's family are one such family.

BeginnerSAHM · 16/12/2013 21:09

...therefore everybody who wears one must be up their own arse. Brilliant reasoning, well done.

dexter73 · 16/12/2013 21:09

Definitely sounds like a plan. Entrance to anyone wearing a family tartan or a signet ring with their crest on.

monkeynuts123 · 16/12/2013 21:10

Oh god I knew my sister was a twat but she gave her son one of these...crest? Oh F**k off!

LRDtheFeministDragon · 16/12/2013 21:11

Fair enough curse. I'm now curious who your family are! Grin

I do think it is unlikely that everyone who claims to have a family crest can be accurate, though, don't you think?

IME the net is filled with people claiming descent from famous historical figures (pretty plausible, actually, given the basic arithmetic of human ancestry), and those same people are the ones who develop immense pride in a heritage, and feel the need for a 'family crest' and 'family coat of arms'. That is harmless enough, but when it becomes a trend and 'tradition' I find it a bit dodgy.

dexter73 · 16/12/2013 21:12

Do I go for the ancient or modern tartan for the cloak? I'm quite liking the pink stripe in the modern.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 16/12/2013 21:13

(And btw, before you feel fed up with me, yes, I do reserve most of my irritation for companies that play on people's completely innocent interests in this area. There are shitloads of places that will claim to sell you your 'family crest' or even, who will research your 'ancestral family coat of arms'. Hmm It's like the 'name a star' scam but more crap.)