FINGER RING

Gold posy ring with an English inscription around the interior and the exterior of the hoop, and inscriptions on the both of the flattened edges of the hoop. The letters are in Roman capitals, with crosses between each word on the hoop and an 'x' between each word on the edges of the ring. The phrases are in four lines. The interior of the hoop has a cross pattee at the start of the inscription:

+ I + AM + YOUR + OVNE

The exterior of the hoop follows with:

+ AND + WILL + BE + EVER

One raised and flattened edge then has, after another cross pattee:

+ DEPART x WHEN x YOU x WILL x x

And on the opposite raised edge:

x FOR x I x WILL x NEVER x x x

The hoop has an anticlastic curvature, with a convex profile and three circumferential ribs either side of the inscription as borders beneath and above the raised edges. The interior of the hoop is plain apart from the inscription. Some of the letters of the inscription on the inside of the hoop still retain segments of black enamel or niello. It is more likely to be the latter as niello is easier to apply internally to these letters and requires a lower melting point than enamel (Martin Page pers comm). Medieval rings inlaid with niello are referred to as 'black letter' rings but they are usually in Gothic script and strictly speaking the "posy" ring is a later sixteenth-century phenomenon, replacing the custom of black letter rings of the previous centuries. The term "posy" comes from the French word poésie or poetry, thus taking their name from English literature. The use of Roman capital letters regained popularity during the first half of the 16th century and was well established by the reign of Elizabeth I, and the exterior decoration suggest a date in the 16th or early 17th century.

For similar finger rings see: DOR-71A791 (2008 T407) or IOW-5D2415 (2004 T111) illustrated in the Treasure Annual Report 2004 on pages 136 & 294, no.300, which are both dated from c.1500-1625.

For closely similar rings of this form, with wide hoops and moulded borders, given as lovers' gifts, see C. Oman, British Rings, London 1974, pp.41 & 111, pl.58, letters B and I, which are dated from the second half of the 16th century. Joan Evans (English Posies and Posy Rings, Oxford 1931, p.49), records that the inscription 'Y AM YOVRS FOR EVER' is on a ring in the British Museums collections (no.1323). A number of rings of this form are held by the British Museum such as the gold posy rings (1960,1103.1 and 1961,1202.148) with exterior inscription 'FERE GOD ONLI' in Roman letters, which date from the 15th to the 16th century. The Victoria & Albert Museum has a gold wedding ring (905-1871) with similar form and an inscription 'OBSERVE WEDLOKE' and inside 'MEMENTO MORI' (Remember you must die) in Roman capitals which is dated from the 16th century.