Poesy rings

Long before today's couples were engraving their engagement and wedding rings with initials, dates and short messages, lovers of old were engraving secret messages of passion, devotion, friendship and faith on posy rings.

A wonderfully sentimental early-mid 18th century posy ring, the outer hoop enameled in white and inlay-decorated with scrollwork hawthorn blossoms, the interior inscribed: “Mon bel amour je te donne mon cœur ♡” (French, “my beautiful love I give you my heart ♡”). Posy rings with decorated outer hoops are more unusual than plain counterparts; of these, examples enameled in white are especially rare. Among the British Museum’s large collection of 693 posy rings, only around five are enameled…

Spellbound: Magic, Ritual & Witchcraft – Do you believe in magic? Even if you don’t, you probably ‘think magically’ sometimes. This is the first exhibition to examine how magical thinking has been practised over the centuries.

Long before today's couples were engraving their engagement and wedding rings with initials, dates and short messages, lovers of old were engraving secret messages of passion, devotion, friendship and faith on posy rings.

Gold posy ring, inscribed on the outside of the hoop in French, 'UNG TEMPS VIANDRA' and on the inside '+MON DESIR ME VAILLE', possibly France, early 16th century

Gold poesy ring c.1450 - Norman French inscription - "Hold fast, hold true"

Jewelry Inspiration of the day: Early English gold posy ring c. 1500. Engraved " pour amore " inside. #jewelryinspiration @peterszuhay

In the latest installment of The History Behind, National Jeweler explores the origin of posy rings, one of the first examples of personalized jewelry.