18th Century Posy Ring
About a hoop of gold, a paltry ring
That she did give me whose posy was
For all the world like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife: 'Love me an leave me not'
- Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (V, I)
An excellent antique posy ring in 22ct gold dating from the early 18th century, circa 1700. The inscription, engraved inside the band, reads: Love in part, the rest in heart. At first glance, it seems like a strange sentiment, however I believe the understanding of the 'heart' was substantially different 300 years ago... When we consider the heart as "the spiritual, psychological, and physical centre of life... ascribed all functions of consciousness: ability to think, wish, desire, because it makes the decision*," then the inscription's real meaning is suddenly clear: I love you but that's not all, you are everything to me - spiritually, psychologically, physically. Love is the beginning, but the true connection is far greater.
Or could, perhaps, the inscription refer to Corinthians 13:9-10, "We know in part, and we prophecy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away." An acknowledgement of the limits of life and love before the arrival of the perfect?
Posy rings, or "love rings", are perhaps the most personal rings of all, being often associated with love and marriage. They contain a secret message from giver to receiver, hidden within, designed to be worn against the skin making the message even more poignant. Most popular throughout the 16th to late 18th centuries, they were exchanged as love tokens, betrothal or wedding rings, and are the inspiration for modern wedding bands. The term posy is late Middle English, with roots in old French and ultimately ancient Greek. It means, simply, poem or poetic verse. As noted above, with Nerissa's angry lament in The Merchant of Venice (Gratiano had, after all, parted with the ring she gave him after swearing he would keep it until his death), Shakespeare was familiar with the use of posy rings. He also mentions them in Hamlet when the king, addressed by the Prologue before a play enacted at court, asks: "Is this the prologue or the posy of a ring?"
*Phraseological Universals Related to the Word "Heart" (Based on the Georgian-English-Bulgarian and Bats Languages) - Mariam Tsiskarishvili
Era: George I, circa 1700
Ring size: V 1/2 or 10.75 US. Resize for £35
Width of band: 3.3mm
Marks: Maker's mark G or D in gothic script, tested as +22ct gold
Condition: Great antique condition, minimal wear with light patina
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