Ring of the Fisherman

Every pope has a personalized signet ring - called the Fisherman's Ring - which depicts St. Peter as a fisherman, casting a net from inside a boat.  The current pope's name is inscribed around the border.

The ring has been used as a seal for the pope's private letters (since the thirteenth century) and as one of two seals (since the fifteenth century) for papal briefs.

After a pope dies, the Cardinal Camerlengo publicly breaks the decedant's ring.  One of the reasons is to prevent someone else from using the ring to seal a letter or authenticate a document.

Credits

Image online, courtesy The Vatican web site.