Renaissance era 22ct gold Poesy Ring With Inscription "Yours Till Death"

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Renaissance era 22ct gold Poesy Ring With Inscription "Yours Till Death"

About the Item

A renaissance era poesy ring (spelled posy, posie, or posey), the outer ring of our posy has a chequerboard pattern with the darkly romantic inscription "Yours till death". The u in the letter Yours is written as a V because it is based off the Latin alphabet which used the letter V to represent both letters. Posey rings were popular in France and England between the 1400's and 1700's and were often given as gifts between lovers. Religious messages and messages of love and fidelity were engraved on the inside of poesy rings. The name derives from the French word “poésie”. The poem refers to the concise and often morally imbued sayings engraved on the inside band (so the message was seen only by the couple. The expressions incorporated literary devices such as rhyme and alliteration as well as and pictorograms. The early goldsmiths maintained published collections in their libraries from which their customers could custom choose their inscriptions, which is why the same inscriptions can often be found on different posey rings. This was an early form of customization. Since the beginning of time, newlyweds have always wanted to own jewelry something unique to them. Posies, including ours, are often 22 carat because the gold standard in England between the years 1575 and 1798 was 22 carat (indicated in most guides to English silver hallmarks). If a posey tests as 18, it is probably a slightly later posey (or, rarely, earlier than 1575 however in that case the inscription might not be in English at all). All early posey rings have the characteristic hand engraving which is easily distinguishable from machine engraving to even the unpracticed observer. Our poesy ring is a size 2 3/4, and not quite a 3. Our images show a few early rings modeled on one hand (available on First Dibs) but only the chequerboard poesy ring is included in this listing.

Ring Size:
3 US, Not Resizable
Metal:
22k Gold,Gold
Weight:
1.4 g
Style:
Renaissance
Place of Origin:
England
Period:
17th Century
Date of Manufacture:
1600
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Baltimore, MD
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU25121296342