Posy rings

This section on posy rings is limited to rings with an inscription of an amatory nature.  The rings were exchanged between lovers and were a popular way of swapping secret messages.  The name is derived from the French word for poem ‘poésie’. 

The earliest rings date from around the 13th C and examples as late as the 19th C are recorded in the PAS database.  Many different styles exist ranging from the very simple, plain bands with an inscription on the interior to highly decorated bands and inscriptions on both the interior and exterior.  They are perhaps the most difficult of the ring categories to date and a number of factors need to be taken into account when attempting to assess their date of production.​

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