Our story begins with our Great-Great Grandfather in 1904 and continues today through five generations of family makers: guardians of craft, keepers of time, and believers in doing things by hand and with heart.
At Ruffs, we believe in slow beauty.
In craft that takes time and style that transcends it.
Masters of form that lasts, we are born of a heritage that endures.
Season after season, decade after decade.
Never rushing, always patient.
Never shouting, always considered.
Our mark can be found on all that we make, our soul in all that we do.
Each ring that we craft for today and tomorrow.
An heirloom for every hand that follows.
Made with purpose. Made to matter.
An impression that lasts forever.
1904
Ruffs was founded in 1904 by Mark Henry Ruff, the son of Johann Ruff, who arrived in England from Germany’s Black Forest in the 1880s. Johann is widely credited with introducing the cuckoo clock to the UK - a fitting origin for a family so deeply connected to the honouring of time. From the very beginning, Ruffs stood for patience, precision, and the quiet dignity of well-made things.
1933
A new chapter opened when Mark’s son, Cyril Norman Aubrey Ruff, took the helm. His initials - C N A R - live on today in our Maker’s Mark. With calm resolve and understated confidence, Cyril opened Ruffs’ newly dedicated store in Hampshire, laying foundations that would endure for generations.
1934
The Great Crash and the Second World War soon followed. With materials scarce and customers scarcer still, Cyril adapted with ingenuity and grace. He expanded into photography - then a new and exciting craft - and Ruffs became known locally as the place that could repair almost anything. In difficult years, versatility became a virtue, and craftsmanship a quiet form of resilience.
1947
When peace returned, so did Cyril’s only son, Kenneth Ruff, greeted by a formidable backlog of clocks waiting to be restored. Kenneth married Eileen, relocated the business to a prime new address, and ushered Ruffs into the post-war decades of growth. Through the optimism of the 1960s and 70s, the business flourished: steady, trusted, and deeply personal.
1989
After years working alongside his talented brother, leadership passed to Mark Ruff, Kenneth and Eileen’s eldest son - and namesake of the founder. Mark has since devoted his working life to Ruffs, shaping the business through consistency, care, and deep personal responsibility. Under his stewardship - and with the unwavering partnership of his late wife, Caroline - Ruffs became internationally renowned for its exquisite signet rings, growing from a local jeweller into a global name, without ever losing its sense of home.
2025
Today, Ruffs enters its fifth generation. Mark Ruff remains Chairman, while his eldest daughter, Ali Ruff, leads the company as CEO - guiding it with clarity, conviction, and vision for the future.
The family remains closely involved. Operations continue from Hampshire, where clients are personally welcomed into the family’s riverside home. Rosanna Ruff, Mark’s second eldest, leads marketing and London-based sales from the capital’s design studio, while Harriet Ruff, his third daughter, oversees technology and Australasian sales from Melbourne. Mark’s youngest, the twins Will and Ed, are never far away - adding humour, perspective, and a steady supply of creative challenge.
And so the work continues: shared, intentional, and deeply personal.
More than 120 years on, Ruffs remains - and will always be - a family business. Built on integrity, time-honoured craftsmanship, and the kind of personal service that can only come from generations of devotion.
A ring for today, a modern heirloom for tomorrow. Not just jewellery, a lasting impression.
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