Culture & Style
Pinky Rings for Men Are a Jewelry Staple for Rappers and Royals Alike
By Hannah Militano, July 18, 2025
From the ancient Egyptians to A$AP Rocky, King Charles III, and Tony Soprano, mens pinky rings have long been a symbol of power and style.
EARRINGS ANDREOLI • BROOCH MARTIN KATZ • RINGS NORMAN SILVERMAN • SWEATER PRADA (Kelvin Harrison Jr. Photographed by Micaiah Carter for Only Natural Diamonds)
Few style staples have stood the test of time like men’s pinky rings. So symbolic for such a small bauble, pinky rings have stood for loyalty, tradition, and identity since Antiquity. A masculine pillar of men’s jewelry, pinky rings can represent wealth, power, social ties, or family lineage, with the rarity of natural diamonds for the ultimate flex.
SHAY Jewelry founders Ladan and Tanaz Shayan tell Only Natural Diamonds, “A pinky ring carries a certain quiet confidence, it’s intentional, a little unexpected, and deeply personal.” The Mother-daughter duo continues, “For us, designing a diamond pinky ring is about redefining traditional symbols of power and individuality. We love that it’s often the final piece someone adds to their look, almost like a signature. There’s also a heritage element to pinky rings, they’ve long symbolized family, status, or identity, and we wanted to elevate that with the timelessness of natural diamonds and 18k gold.”
Meet the Expert
- Mother-daughter duo Ladan and Tanaz Shayan founded SHAY Jewelry in in 2003.
- Based in Los Angeles, the fine jewelry brand is synonymous with exceptional craftsmanship
- SHAY Jewelry sources only the finest materials, from 18k gold to the most brilliant natural diamonds and gemstones.
According to the Shayans, “When designing men’s rings, especially pinky rings, we’re always inspired by strength, subtle rebellion, and personal style. We’re drawn to the idea of heirloom masculinity: pieces that feel bold yet refined, that can be passed down or worn every day without losing their edge. It’s about creating jewelry that feels lived in but still makes an impact. We love reimagining it through the SHAY lens: sculptural, refined, and built to last.”
Sometimes added to a fistful of natural diamond rings to amp up the bling factor, and sometimes worn on its own, gentlemen from monarchs to musicians and mafiosos have always shown their love for men’s pinky rings.
Mens Pinky Rings on the Red Carpet
A$AP Rocky brought his impeccable taste to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to support the premiere of Highest 2 Lowest, a film directed by Spike Lee in which the rapper stars. During the photocall, Rocky sported a black button-down under a white Miu Miu suit at Palais des Festivals. He accessorized with a vintage Bulgari diamond pinky ring that he owns himself.
Later that evening, the rapper walked the red carpet with his partner Rihanna for the film’s premiere. Changing his ensemble to a black tux, Rocky wore a diamond Bulgari Monete bracelet, diamond and gold hoop earrings, and yet another pink ring. The Bulgari High Jewelry ring featured an octagonal rubellite and pavé-set diamonds.
At the 2025 Met Gala, A$AP Rocky celebrated Black style and dandyism in a custom ensemble from his creative agency AWGE, which he designed with his longtime stylist Matthew Henson. As co-chair of the annual soirée, the rapper leaned on a diamond-embellished umbrella, courtesy of Briony Raymond, wearing jewels from Bulgari. The rapper championed pinky rings for men, wearing a High Jewelry diamond ring in platinum, with a 7.63-carat cut-cornered rectangular diamond, 16 fancy-shaped diamonds, and 3.22 carats of pavé-set diamonds. GQ Senior Style Editor, Murray Clark said it best. If there’s “One ring to rule them all,” as the Lord of the Rings prophecy says, then consider us Gollum for this precious natural diamond pinky ring.
Colman Domingo attended the 2025 Golden Globes in a Valentino ensemble and Boucheron diamond jewelry, styled by Wayman Bannerman and Micah McDonald. Most notably, the Sing Sing actor wore a statement-making Glacier ring set with a 2-carat pear diamond and grand Antique marble, paved with diamonds on his pinky finger.
The History of Mens Pinky Rings: Monarchs, Musicians & Mafiosos
In Antiquity, prominent male figures from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome were known to wear pinky rings as a symbol of wealth, power, and social standing, or to signify belief systems. In Rome, senators wore signet rings on their pinky finger to impress their seals in the hot wax for important messages and documents. The ancient Egyptians used pinky rings as an essential element of their dynastic language.
Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder discussed the long-adored accessory in his first-century AD work, Naturalis Historia. Commenting on the traditions of the Roman people of the time, Pliny indicated that the pinky ring was a status symbol – implying that, while they may have owned much larger and more impressive rings, noblemen were humble enough to wear a ring on their smallest finger. Antiquity’s version of “stealth wealth” or “quiet luxury,” the pinky ring implied that they did not need to show off their treasure trove, stashed away.
Royal Mens Pinky Rings
By the 19th century, Queen Victoria was wearing pinky rings and passed the trend down to her sons. During this time, married men and those who did not wish for marriage wore pinky rings to send the message that they were not looking for a woman. From British aristocrats wearing their coat of arms or family crests to dandies in Edwardian times, pinky rings for men remained a perennial staple throughout the ages. King Charles III has continued to champion the royal tradition.
King Charles has been known to wear his gold signet ring on his left pinky finger since the 1970s. The royal relic once belonged to his Uncle Edward, the Duke of Windsor, and is engraved with the symbol of the Prince of Wales (a title Charles held for 64 years). Now, the King has passed down the heirloom to his son, Prince William since receiving the title last September.
Pinky Rings for Men as Seen On the Silver Screen
Films and series surrounding the mafia have often exhibited a proclivity for pinky rings within organized crime. Worn in The Godfather films and 2019’s The Irishman, the pinky ring represents an affiliation to your tribe as seen on beloved mob boss Tony Soprano and his entourage in the HBO smash hit series The Sopranos. Tony’s diamond and ruby Toi et Moi pinky ring practically jumps off the screen, while Big Pussy Bonpensiero’s bejeweled horseshoe pinky ring ironically signaled luck for the ill-fated mafioso.
An emblem of success and wealth, men’s pinky rings have stood out on particularly loaded leading gentlemen. In the 1974 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Robert Redford portrays the titular millionaire Jay Gatsby during the Jazz Age of the Roaring Twenties, wearing a powerful pinky ring from Cartier throughout the film.
In Titanic, Billy Zane’s character, Cal Hockley, is an American industrialist who boards the ship to travel to New York and claim his fortune from his father, a millionaire steel tycoon. Cal, too, sports a signet ring on his pinky finger to convey his status and family lineage. Gossip Girl’s notorious bad boy Chuck Bass was known to wear a monogrammed pinky ring and memorably slips it off when he decides to remove himself from his family’s legacy.
Diamond Pinky Rings for Men in Music
Worn by the Rat Pack’s Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin, the pinky ring has found its niche within the music industry as well. Even Elvis was known to wear a huge band on his pinky.
Rappers like Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur sported the style staple. Rick Ross sings, “Kiss my pinky ring, I am king,” in his 50 Cent diss track from 2009, while Drake launched the accessory as the ultimate flex when he sang, “I would pinky swear but my pinky ring too big,” in his 2014 track “Who Do You Love,” and again in the 2018 song “Nonstop” when he rapped “Pinky ring ‘til I get a wedding ring.”
In 2023, Drake purchased what the Smithsonian has dubbed “the most valuable hip-hop artifact ever sold,” when he bought Tupac’s diamond and ruby crown ring at a Sotheby’s auction for just over $1 million. Drake’s identity as the ring’s buyer remained a mystery for a few days after the auction, until he revealed the news on Instagram, sharing a picture of himself wearing the ring on his pinky finger.
Tupac designed the ring himself, finding inspiration in Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince, which he read in prison. Designed to Tupac’s exact specifications, he asked that the rubies and diamonds be fashioned in gold “after the crowns of the medieval kings of Europe in ‘an act of self-coronation,’” according to Yaasmyn Fula, Shakur’s godmother and adviser, in a statement from Sotheby’s. The ring holds even more significance, being that he was wearing it during his last public appearance before he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996.
Tiffany & Co. crafted a custom commemorative pinky ring for singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, set in 18-karat gold with round brilliant diamonds and inscribed with “PR” in the center in celebration of the grand opening of his new club Pinky Ring in Las Vegas. The musician opened his cocktail lounge at the Bellagio Resort & Casino.
Shop Mens Pinky Rings
Get inspired by the best mens pinky rings from some of our favorite designers, featuring bold, stylish looks for every taste.
SHAY MEN’S DIAMOND BAGUETTE SIGNET RING, $5,100, shayjewelry.com.
Bloomingdale’s Fine Collection Men’s Diamond Cluster Geometric Pinky Ring, $725, bloomingdales.com
Briony Raymond Onyx & Diamond Signet Ring, $18,500, brionyraymond.com
David Yurman STREAMLINE® SIGNET RING, $6,500, davidyurman.com
SHAY BLACK DIAMOND PAVE PINKY RING $5,150, shayjewelry.com
Briony Raymond SLOAN SURROUND DIAMOND SIGNET RING, $18,500, brionyraymond.com
Tiffany T T1 Ring in White Gold with Baguette and Pavé Diamonds, $18,700, tiffany.com
Graziela Black and White Diamond Enamel Band, $5,000, grazielagems.com
Shay DIAMOND PAVE INITIAL PINKY RING $5,150, shayjewelry.com
Single Stone Dallas Diamond Ring, $13,600, singlestone.com
State Property Borsh Jet Black Diamond Ring, $4,180, thisisstateproperty.com
Sylva & Cie Twinkle Black Diamond & Gold Signet Ring, $6,125, sylvacie.com
Lizzie Mandler ASSCHER SIGNET KNIFE EDGE PINKY RING, $5,210, lizziemandler.com
SHAY DIAMOND ILLUSION SIGNET PINKY RING $10,100, shayjewelry.com
Tiffany Knot Double Row Ring in Yellow Gold with Diamonds, $7,200, tiffany.com
EF Collection Diamond Signet Ring, $2,195, efcollection.com
Zahn-Z Petite ZAHA Cushion Diamond Ring, $4,430, zahnzjewelry.com
