The Story
Originally created by three friends at the University of Oxford who were looking for sustainable and long-lasting alternatives to the everyday products & gifts that were being used to celebrate and cherish their undergraduate memories.
Since those earliest days, Annotated has stood for the idea that, by making things well, we could imbue our products with a sense of soul. You can feel it the moment you touch one of our signet rings.
Over the years, the Annotated graduation ring has become our definition of one-of-a-kind and bespoke: completely made-to-order in collaboration with its owner and crafted by hand from precious metals. Whether a graduand is someone who typically is interested in fine jewellery or not, he or she ought to be able to wear something both elegant and of a quality that reflects their deep passion for education and exploring ideas.
The project is about reflecting this heart felt commitment to education and the questioning life, while keeping true to your roots and embracing everything good.
It is inspired by our family and our friends; by the kind of people who say what they mean, do what they feel and stand on their own.
A Sustainable Collection
Our journey as a Company towards sustainability is guided by the work we have done with our custom made pieces. The goal is to produce high quality jewellery and ceramics by using natural, recycled and upcycled raw materials, is so doing, lengthening the lifespan of the products and offering an alternative method of production to the material waste, pollution and use of hazardous chemical substances involved in mass and batch manufacture. Every custom made piece is made completely from scratch in our workshops, in a process that has been examined and adjusted with minimal eco-system impact in mind.
Here is a peek into the process of making custom-made jewellery:
Reclaimed gold and silver: Our choice for the raw materials to make custom-made pieces is always reclaimed or recycled precious metal. Excess metal is melted down and reused creating practically zero precious metal waste from metal casting, which is done using the ancient lost-wax method.
No base metal: We do not use base metals in our custom made jewellery because they are less long lasting, more difficult to repair and are typically chemically treated to mimic the colour of sterling silver or gold.
No silver plating or chemical treatments: By controlling our own metal alloys we reduce the amount of plating we do. We also do not use anti-tarnish or other post-production chemical treatments. This reduces significantly the water and energy we use.
Lab-grown stones: We have introduced lab-grown stones where it is We offer fully traced semi-precious and precious stones, however we recommend
Traceability: We have full traceability from metal alloy to final piece.
10 years of care: Our 10 years of care scheme means that we will help customers care for their products during ten years. When a customer brings back a custom made product with some kind of problem we repair the item according to the need.
Recycled boxes: Custom made pieces are present in a box made from 100% recycled paper.
The Collection
The collection draws on ancient heraldry and the ecclesiastical rings of the late medieval period. Where contours have been reinterpreted or new elements have been brought in, they have been done so through a clean, modernist perspective seeking to minimise embellishment and unnecessary motifs.
The Band
Fresh and understated and with an engraving inspired by carvings into sandstone, the band ring differentiates itself from the collection for its fusion of simpler aesthetic sources. A ring that renews a perennial design: it is simple, modern and discreet, and yet manages to distinguish and celebrate your achievement.
The engraving is fundamental to the band ring and since every band ring is made to commission and individually crafted, our craftsmen have the opportunity to produce an engraving perfectly balanced to be both luxurious and restrained. Each letter is individually and precisely cut into the precious metal band, ensuring legibility and resulting in a finish that is both distinct and discreet.
Never crude, never loud, the band is an exquisite meeting of words and materials, imbued with your distinctive personality.
Combined with a subtle inside inscription these engravings will distil and honour your achievement.
The Signet
Few pieces of jewellery can match the history of the signet. Of all designs of ring, it has been the one that has been worn continuously and that has maintained its symbolic value. From its earliest days, when few could write and the seals they bore were a distinguishing mark essential for governance and business, it has continued to endure. And in each age the signet has been reinterpreted; through the middle ages when heraldic shields and coats of arms were introduced, and on into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when they became a symbol of gentlemanly ascensions to fortune by sword and wit and were venerated as heirlooms, to more recent reinterpretations when the signet has come to symbolise present-day moments of celebration and achievement.
Our signet design is firmly woven into these traditions. It stands above seasons and trends and continues to complement any occasion and style. In the spirit of our own times, our Graduation signet is simple, limiting the inscription to the bezel around the shield and the option of two discreet side panels referencing your degree on each shoulder of the ring. Utmost it has been designed to be beautiful and clearly express your achievement.
The Imperial
The history of the imperial ring dates back to the Roman times when it was used as a mark of honour and distinction. Unlike the signet, the imperial ring was always gold and set with a stone that had not been engraved. The shape of the ring, a circle reflecting endlessness, was also a sign of inviolable loyalty, and for centuries no ecclesiastical occasion was complete without the presence of the imperial ring.
Finally from the early 20th century, inspired by Art Deco and Modernism, the designs were revived and simplified: becoming more geometric, the lines clean and bold, the symbolism muted. So that eventually the rings themselves became valued for the meaning given them, not by interest groups, but by the individuals that wear them.
Our Imperial design, liberated from the rings traditional allusions, celebrates your achievement in the life and brilliance of the stone, while preserving the intrinsic qualities of its imposing classical shape, one recognizable to all generations.
The result it is a design that offers a rare fusion of colour and meaning.
The Imperial's Stone
A belief in the power of stones to influence fortune and health arose very early in our history. To the ancients their rarity and beauty created the belief that they were derived from heaven and endowed the wearer with supernatural defences against misfortune. Today the belief that stones are connected to the heavens continues is some way in the use of gems as birthstones.