SS - Ehrenring The SS - Ehrenring ( " SS Honour Ring " ) , unofficially called " Totenkopfring " ( " Skull Ring " ) , was an award of Heinrich Himmler ' s Schutzstaffel ( SS ) . It was not a state decoration , but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler . The SS Honor Sword was a similar award . Award . The ring was initially presented to senior officers of the Old Guard ( of which there were fewer than 5 , 000 ) who had displayed extraordinary valor and leadership skill in battle . An additional requirement was a clean disciplinary record , and a subsequent blemish on it would require the wearer to return the ring . By 1939 , disciplinary issues aside , it was available to any officer with 3 years service in the SS , and in World War II virtually the entire SS leadership , including the Waffen - SS and Gestapo , had the ring . On 17 October 1944 production of the rings by Gahr & Co . of Munich was cancelled due to the increasing economic stresses of the final stages of the war . The rings were made by a die press then run thru a design matrix . The skull was cast and soldered on later , with the recipient ' s name , the award date , and Himmler ' s signature engraved on the interior of each ring . In addition every recipient got a standard letter of Himmler which described the meaning of the ring . The name of the recipient and the conferment date was added on the letter . In the letter , Himmler wrote that the ring was a " reminder at all times to be willing to risk the life of our selves for the life of the whole " . In 1938 Himmler ordered the return of all rings of dead SS - men and officers to be stored in a chest in Wewelsburg Castle . This was to symbolize the ongoing membership of the deceased in the SS - order . The whereabouts of the approximately 11 , 500 rings after the Second World War is unclear , but it has been suggested that they were entombed in a local mountain by blasting closed the entrance to a cave . Design . The design of the ring reflects Himmler ' s interest in Germanic mysticism . Karl Maria Wiligut has been credited with the design . The ring shows skull and crossed bones - the SS symbol - on its top . The skull ( or Totenkopf ) was the traditional symbol of the SS , taken from other German and Prussian military units of the past . The meaning of the skull described in Himmler ' s accompanying letter , literally : " " The skull is the monition to be prepared anytime to risk the life of our own I for the life of the entity . " " Armanen runes appear prominently on the ring . The ring is wreathed with oak leaves . On the inside of the ring was engraved " S Lb " for " Seinem Lieben " then the surname [ only - no initials ] of the bearer , date of presentation and a facsimile of Himmler ' s signature . Recipients also received a specially designed box decorated with the SS runes for storage or carrying . Post - Nazi era . After all further awards of the ring were halted in 1944 , Himmler ordered all the remaining rings blast - sealed inside a hill near Wewelsburg Castle . Their present location is unknown . All rings were to be returned to Himmler upon the bearer ' s death or when they left the SS , to be kept at Wewelsburg as a kind of individual memorial to the holder . When a ring - holder was killed in battle , his SS comrades were to make every effort to retrieve the ring and prevent its falling into enemy hands . By January 1945 , 64 % of the 14 , 500 rings made had been returned to Himmler . After the end of the war , many rings were also ( per Himmler ' s instructions ) buried with the men who were awarded them . Around 3 , 500 rings are thought to be in existence today , and therefore are very rare , collectable items . Copies and fakes are also common . There appears to be difficulty in verifying the authenticity of examples bearing the name " Müller " and " Maier " ( two very common German surnames ) .