Brad Hostetler. “Reading and Displaying Monograms on Byzantine Signet Rings.” The Journal of the Walters Art Museum, volume 75 (2021) [Open Access]

In 1986 the Walters Art Museum purchased a silver Byzantine ring from the Günter Puhze gallery in Freiburg, Germany. The ring, dated to the sixth or seventh century CE, consists of a narrow convex band and a raised circular bezel with an incised design in reverse. This design features a monogram composed of Greek letters, a cross, and two palm fronds, surrounded by a dotted line. The reverse incised form of this design indicates that the ring functioned as a signet. The wearer would have pressed the bezel into a bed of soft wax leaving behind a mirror image, relief impression, or seal, that could be attached to letters, contracts, and personal property for authentication and protection.