Cleopatra had lapis. Napoleon had cornelian. Elvis had black onyx.

For thousands of years, gemstones have been far more than a question of colour. They've been carved with emperors and gods, carried as talismans, pressed into wax, exchanged between lovers, passed down through families and worn by everyone from ancient rulers to rock and roll royalty.

At Rebus, we have our favourites. Cornelian, lapis lazuli, sardonyx, bloodstone, black onyx and hematite are stones we return to again and again, with histories stretching back centuries - and in some cases, millennia. Each responds differently to the engraver's hand; each carries its own history, symbolism and superstition; and each brings something different to the finished signet ring or pendant.

Choosing a gemstone isn't just about finding a colour you like. The stone is part of the story.

(L) Scarab Finger Ring with the Names of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, ca. 1473–1458 BCE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (R) Lapis lazuli on the Rebus Stone Set Oxford Oval 55 Signet Ring and Stone Set Oval Pendant.

The Engraver's Palette

Engrave into petrol-blue sardonyx and something unexpected happens: the cut turns black. Start with creamy white sardonyx and warm amber appears beneath instead. The colour you see on the surface is only the beginning.

It's a natural effect that engravers have been exploiting for thousands of years, with Roman craftsmen cutting selectively through those bands like an artist using different colours of paint, allowing a face, figure or detail to emerge in another shade.

Bloodstone arrives with its own constellation of red flecks scattered through deep green; lapis with streaks of white calcite and flashes of gold pyrite.

Then there's black onyx: dark, uniform and unapologetically graphic. Against that depth of black, even the finest cuts have presence. Hematite goes cooler still, with a metallic, steel-grey finish that feels almost industrial by comparison.

(L) Rebus Stone-Set Oxford 55 Signet Ring in red sardonyx. (R) Sardonyx Cameo of a Double Capricorn with a Portrait of the Emperor Augustus, ca. 27 BCE–14 CE. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Napoleon, the Medici and 3,000 Years of Good Taste

These stones arrive at Rebus with thousands of years of history already attached.

Dating back to ancient Egypt, lapis lazuli was already finding its way into the hands of royalty. Cleopatra is famously said to have used the crushed blue stone as eyeshadow, while Hatshepsut, one of the civilisation's most powerful pharaohs, had her name carved into it. A surviving gold scarab ring bearing her name alongside that of Thutmose III could be swivelled to reveal a seal and pressed into mud.

The Romans took gemstone engraving to another level. Emperors like Augustus had their likenesses carved into sardonyx, turning a tiny gemstone into a statement of power, while cornelian found a more practical role in the seals used on letters and documents as the stone takes fine engraving well and hot wax doesn't readily stick to its surface.

By Renaissance Florence, ancient engraved gems had become serious collector's items. Lorenzo de' Medici amassed one of the great collections and wasn't above having his own name added to stones that were already ancient, inserting himself quite literally into their history. His finest cameos were valued at several times the price of his best Botticelli paintings.

For Napoleon, an ancient gemstone became a love token. He acquired an antique cornelian intaglio during his Egyptian campaign and later gave it to Joséphine, who had the centuries-old carving mounted into a ring.

Different centuries, different motives - identity, power, love, legacy - but the instinct to put meaning into something beautiful and lasting remains. A name, crest, portrait or personal symbol carved into stone becomes something to wear, to gift and to pass down.

(L) Rebus Stone Set Era Diamond Signet Ring in bloodstone. R) Rebus Round Signet Ring in sardonyx.

Luck, Love and a Little Superstition

Gemstones have long been worn in the belief that they could bring courage, protection, love or luck.

Bloodstone has attracted some of the wildest claims. Its natural red flecks against deep green inspired the Christian legend that the stone was created when Christ's blood fell at the foot of the cross, earning it the name the “Martyr's Stone”. Today, it's also a traditional birthstone for March, associated with courage, strength and vitality.

Sardonyx was traditionally worn as a talisman for courage and protection. Roman soldiers are said to have worn it engraved with Mars, the god of war, while later traditions associated the stone with friendship, self-control and a happy marriage. As one of the traditional birthstones for August, it is also associated with strength, protection and good fortune.

Even black onyx comes with a myth. In one ancient story, Cupid clipped the fingernails of Venus as she slept and the gods turned them to stone so that no part of the goddess could ever disappear.

You don't have to believe the superstition. Birthstones and symbolism simply offer another way to make the stone you wear mean something.

(L) Rebus Stone Set Nova Signet Ring in lapis lazuli. (R) Rebus Stone Set Cushion Ring in black onyx.

How Icons Made Gemstones Their Own

Sometimes, the meaning is simply in how you wear it.

Queen Victoria helped turn Scottish agates into a nineteenth-century fashion after falling in love with the Highlands. The smoky greys and blues of native stones found their way into everything from brooches to bracelets.

For Marlene Dietrich, it was lapis lazuli. Her love of the stone was well known enough that the novelist Erich Maria Remarque chose it for a piece of jewellery he gave her, finished with a bold lapis clasp. 

Black onyx found its own set of devotees. Johnny Cash wore it, Elvis Presley owned several black onyx rings, and Andy Warhol returned to the stone too. Three completely different personal styles, all drawn to the same uncompromising black.

By the 1960s, intensely coloured hardstones had become part of the visual language of the international jet set, worn by women such as Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor. That appetite for bold, colourful stones still feels remarkably modern. There's more than a hint of 1970s statement jewellery in our own stone-set Nova collection, with its sculpted form, banded shoulders and gemstone taking centre stage.

(L) Rebus Oxford Oval 55 Signet Ring in cornelian. (R) Rebus Stone Set Oval Pendants in stones outside the core collection.

Making Your Choice

There’s no formula for choosing a gemstone. You might be drawn to the depth of black onyx, the flashes of pyrite in lapis or the unpredictability of bloodstone. You might start with a birthstone, a colour with personal significance, or simply a stone you’ve always loved.

And not every stone needs to be engraved. Tiger’s eye, grey lace agate, blue lace agate and malachite can all be stone-set at Rebus, but their structure makes them unsuitable for engraving. They offer another way to bring colour, pattern and natural variation to a ring or pendant.

Our core collection isn’t the limit, either. If there’s another gemstone that has particular significance to you, speak to us. Depending on the stone, its suitability and availability, we may be able to source it for a bespoke piece.

It may feel early to be thinking about Christmas, but our books for stone-set commissions remain open until the end of September. If you have a gemstone gift in mind, now is the time to start planning.

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