Pinky Rings: A Small Ring That Says A Lot

Featured: In Motion, Ray of Sunshine, Just Be Pinky Rings

Pinky rings are underrated in my opinion. There’s something about choosing to wear a ring on your pinky that feels intentional. Not for trend. Not for practicality. Just because you want to. And somehow, that makes it feel a little more powerful. 

That was actually kind of the point, historically. Pinky rings have always been worn with a sense of purpose. A quick history lesson: in ancient Rome, they were used as signet rings, carved with a family seal and pressed into wax to sign documents. It was seen as a symbol of identity, legacy, and authority.

In Victorian England, they became a marker of status or independence. Apparently, unmarried men often wore them to show they had no intentions of settling down. I say we bring this trend back, modern dating could use it. I digress.

I learned about a tradition through a friend, where engineers in America and Canada wear a ring on the pinky finger of their dominant hand as an oath of responsibility. Known as the engineer's ring, the simple band is usually made of stainless steel or iron, to represent the profession's strength. It also symbolizes unity within the field and a shared commitment to ethical practice, serving as a reminder that their work carries consequences and is ultimately meant to benefit mankind. Talk about a meaningful tradition.

A friend's engineer's ring

All that to say, the pinky ring has always carried meaning and that's one of the reasons I'm drawn to it. I’m not interested in making pieces for the sake of it, there’s always purpose behind each piece. With pinky rings, scale becomes its own kind of challenge, but the goal is the same: to create something that holds meaning, even in its smallest form.