The Special Long John Silver Signet Ring
By the end of 2021, I celebrated the 10th anniversary of Long John by creating a special silver signet ring together with 877 Workshop. The outcome was a one-off ring that I wear since then, a reminder of this milestone, a decade of running this online denim magazine Long John, and being active as a freelance denim specialist for brands and retail within the denim industry.
It wasn’t planned to sell this special Long John collab ring in the first place, but after so much positive feedback and questions about this ring, 877 Workshop and I came up with the idea to make it available for others as well. So, from now on you can order it and wear this special 10th anniversary Long John x 877 Workshop silver signet ring yourself!
About 877 Workshop
Sylvia and Daniel Janssen are the driving force behind their 877 Workshop brand. They craft everything by hand in their atelier in Hamburg, Germany. Always in mind to create unique pieces which are vintage-inspired and with a time contemporary look. The good thing is that most of their items can be personalized too, which makes them extra special, just like this Long John ring.
Fun fact: 877 is the number of the color silver in the Pantone Color System. The Pantone system is used in a variety of industries notably graphic design, fashion design, product design, printing, and manufacturing.
A Brief History Of Signet Rings
The signet ring has a long history and is also known as the ‘gentleman’s ring’. These types of rings have been around since the days of the Old Testament when it was used as a personal signature or symbol of family heritage. Typically it bore a family crest or another symbol representing an individual on its distinguishable flat bezel. It will leave a raised impression of the design when the ring is pressed onto liquid sealing wax. This was common to seal letters back in the day.
The less noble classes began wearing and using signet rings as early as the 13th century. In the 17th century, signet rings fell out of favor in the upper levels of society, replaced by other means for mounting and carrying the signet. In the 18th century, though, signet rings again became popular, and by the 19th century, men of all classes wore them.
Rings have been used since antiquity as spy identification and espionage. During World War II, US Air Force personnel would privately purchase signet rings with a hidden compartment that would hold a small compass or hidden message.
On the back of the ring, there’s the 877 Workshop brand mark, and the silver code, 925.
The Long John x 877 Workshop Ring
The special Long John x 877 Workshop ring is made of solid silver (925) and has a plain oval signet plate and a vintage-style finish. The plate is 13 mm x 13 mm (L 0.51″ x H 0.51″), so perfect for a custom engraving. I made a less detailed version of my Long John logo, to make it doable for engraving.
Next to the anchor (the symbol represents things related to marine life, such as sailing, being in the navy, or working on a boat as a fisherman, but stands also for hope), there’s the LJ which refers to Long John, of course, but can also be seen as Love Jeans ; ) The logo is cut freehand with a sharp graver into the metal.
The simplified version of the Long John logo, to make it doable for engraving.
Select The Right Size Of Your Ring
If you aren’t sure to pick the right ring size, you can order the 877 Workshop ring sizer for FREE with code: ‘Long John‘. Just use this code in the discount field in the cart on their webstore here. The ring sizers will be shipped free via letter mail worldwide.
Good to know: When a ring doesn’t fit, the re-sizing is free, but the customer has to pay the postage to 877 Workshop in Germany and back to the customer. The ring is not returnable for exchange or refund.
Ready To Order Now!
The Long John x 877 Workshop silver signet ring is now available and can be exclusively ordered in the Webshop section here. The delivery time is around 14 days excluding shipping time. The shipping time depends on the country and city (EU with DHL is 5 to 10 days e.g. The Netherlands is 5 days, London is 7 days, Ireland is 10 days, etc, USA with FedEx is 5 – 7 days).