Rings are the most commonly surviving medieval jewels. They were worn by both sexes, across all levels of society. Some portraits show wearers with multiple rings across all their fingers. Although rings were worn for decoration, they also had important practical functions. Signet rings such as this one were pressed into sealing wax to create a unique, legally recognised signature.

Signets could be engraved with a coat of arms for those entitled to bear them, with a personal device or simply with an initial letter. The design on this ring of a cross and sickle moon can also be read as the letters IP. The crescent moon was also one of the symbols of the Virgin and the cross stood for Christ. . The shoulders are engraved with religious mottoes - IHC merci refers to the Sacred Monogram, an abbreviation of the name of Christ in Greek, merci may mean 'mercy' or 'thanks'. 'Ladi help' is probably an appeal to the Virgin Mary. The inscription IHS merci can be found on other jewels such as the chaplet or jewelled headband worn by the tomb effigy of the poet John Gower (died 1408) in Southwark Cathedral.

The phrase can also be found in a hymn to the Virgin from the time of Henry III:

'Ofte IHC seke merci
thin swete name ich calle
Mi flehs is foul, this world is fals
thu loke that ich nich falle.'

(Often IHC seek mercy, thy sweet name I call. My flesh is foul, this world is false, thou look that I not fall).

The combination of the IHC phrase with the invocation 'Lady help' may suggest that a hymn such as the one above was the inspiration for the inscriptions on the ring. It was intended to be worn as a sign of faith and to claim the help and support of the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus.