A Collection of Posy Rings

Foreword

“The posies in your rings, which are always next to the finger, not to be seen of him that holdeth you by the hands, and yet known to you that wear them on your hands” - John Lyly, Euphues, 1580.

The name ‘posy ring’ is derived from the ‘poesy’ or motto usually engraved around the hoop of a gold band ring, and they were produced from the 14th to the 18th centuries, reaching the peak of their popularity in the 17th century when they mostly took the form of a D-section rounded band, plain to the exterior, with the posy inscribed to the inner surface in italic, cursive script.

Posy rings were sometimes given as gifts to friends to mark significant occasions, but their most common use was as gifts of love and betrothal/marriage, with the posy - often a rhyming couplet - having a romantic theme. The repetition of particularly posies indicates that goldsmiths and their customers made use of published compendiums or commonplace books such as the 1658 ‘The mysteries of Love or the Art of Wooing’, or the 1674 ‘Love’s Garland or posies for rings, handkerchiefs and such pretty tokens as lover’s send their loves’. The more unusual inscriptions perhaps indicating the ability to choose or write a posy would be a demonstration of the literary flair of an educated person. The placing of the posy to the interior of the band makes the posy (and its sentiment) a secret shared only between giver and receiver.