Articles and News
Men’s Pinky Rings: A Longstanding Symbol of Power, Style, and Cultural Identity July 28, 2025 (0 comments)
New York, NY--Men's pinky rings have a long history as markers of status, tradition, and identity. According to Only Natural Diamonds, the accessory has held cultural weight since ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, where Roman senators used signet rings to seal documents, and thinkers like Pliny the Elder noted their association with quiet wealth.
Today, the ring continues to signal personal style and status across industries. A$AP Rocky wore multiple pinky rings—some vintage Bulgari—during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and Met Gala. At the latter, he appeared with a Bulgari High Jewelry platinum ring set with a 7.63-carat diamond, 16 fancy-shaped diamonds, and over 3 carats of pavé-set stones.
King Charles III has worn a gold pinky signet ring engraved with the Prince of Wales crest since the 1970s. The ring, once owned by the Duke of Windsor, was recently passed down to Prince William. According to the report, the ring embodies a royal tradition dating back to the time of Queen Victoria.
The pinky ring has also appeared prominently in film and television. Characters like Tony Soprano, Jay Gatsby, and Chuck Bass used the ring to convey status or family legacy. In The Sopranos, mob characters often wore ornate pinky rings as a form of tribal identification. In The Great Gatsby, Robert Redford's Gatsby wore a Cartier pinky ring throughout the film.
In music, pinky rings have long been associated with performance and persona. Tupac Shakur commissioned a gold, diamond, and ruby crown ring in 1996, inspired by The Prince by Machiavelli. According to the report, the ring, worn during Tupac's final public appearance, was purchased by Drake in 2023 for over $1 million at Sotheby's.
SHAY Jewelry, founded by Ladan and Tanaz Shayan, sees the ring as a piece rooted in personal meaning and heirloom appeal. "It’s intentional, a little unexpected, and deeply personal," the designers told Only Natural Diamonds. They noted their designs reflect a mix of strength and subtlety using natural diamonds and 18k gold.
Actor Colman Domingo wore a 2-carat diamond Boucheron pinky ring to the 2025 Golden Globes. Bruno Mars, meanwhile, received a custom Tiffany & Co. pinky ring marked "PR" to celebrate his Las Vegas lounge opening.
According to the report, the pinky ring's continued presence across royalty, rap, red carpets, and screens suggests its staying power as a discreet yet deliberate signifier of identity.
Learn more in this article by Only Natural Diamonds.
[Images by Getty Images via Only Natural Diamomnds]