Hebrew Poesie Rings - Prayer Rings

Posie rings (sometimes spelled "posy ", "posey" or "poesy rings") are finger rings with short inscriptions on their outer surfaces. More rarely the inscription is on the inner surface.

A posey ring or love ring, is a simple gold band engraved with a brief sentiment or poem on the outside. They were used as a lover's token, a wedding ring, or simply as a means of showing regard or giving a gift.

Poesy rings are rings with brief poems that express love sentiments inscribed either around the outside or on the inside of the band. This type of ring dates as early as classical times, when they were considered magical, having the power when worn to enforce the poesy engraved on them. (Tradition has it that there is a vein running directly from the fourth finger to the heart and words touching this vein have a special power.)

In the 16th and 17th century England and France, a wedding ring would be inscribed with a sentiment of love, faith and hope. A silver betrothal ring would often be replaced with the same poesy ring in gold on marriage.

These rings reached their greatest popularity during the Renaissance when they were not only given as wedding rings, but used as a lover's token or simply as a means of showing fond regard or giving a gift. Many of Shakespeare's plays mention them such as Hamlet Act III, scene 2, "Is this a prologue or the poesy of a ring."

These very short love poems and rhymed inscriptions can be found engraved on antique posy rings (also 'posie' or 'posey rings').

They repesent deep intimate feelings of people. Such rings were given on various occasions, but as one can clearly see, mostly as tokens of engagement or as wedding rings. Not many of them can be considered true gems of literature, but the power of these short love poems is in their romantic sincerity and old time charm. Their brevity is naturally dictated by the limitations of space - only one or two phrases used to fit on a ring. Modern day Valentines are influenced by this genre, but some of these rhymed lines have apparently gone unnoticed for centuries.

The language used in many early posy rings was Norman French, with French, Latin and English used in later times. The posies were originally written on the outside, moving to the hidden inside of the ring in later (mid 16th Century onwards) times.

We offer a collection of Hebrew posey rings, capturing verses, prayers, love messages.