Gold band with D-section, plain on the exterior and engraved on the interior in italic script “Think well of mee” followed by the capital letters ‘AMR’ (initials of giver or owner). The ring shows signs of wear through age and is in good wearable condition.  

 

Posy rings derive their name from the term poésie, or poetry. These rings bear inscribed mottoes either in prose or verse. From the fifteenth century onward, such rings were known to be exchanged between lovers, friends and family members expressing affection, friendship, faith, or even New Year wishes. Early examples feature inscriptions engraved on the exterior of the band, while later examples—such as the present ring—conceal their mottoes inside the hoop with their personal messages known only to the giver and recipient. Posy rings are mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare (1564–1616), including Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice. They enjoyed enduring popularity throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, particularly as betrothal and wedding rings.

 

This ring may have served as a betrothal ring, although the motto also suggests it could have been given as a token of friendship. The initials ‘AMR’ are most likely those of the giver rather than the recipient.

 

Variations of the inscription “Think well of mee” are recorded in the compendium of posy ring mottos by Joan Evans (1931, p. 97), including “Think on me” (from the will of Robert Eyre, 1618) and “Thinke on me” (British Museum, London, inv. no. AF 1383). A further example from the Griffin Collection, inscribed “THINKE WEL OF ME,”, is on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Scarisbrick, 2021, p. 160, no. 88). Another variant, “I give it thee to thinke on me,” is also noted by Evans (1931, p. 52).

 

For a history of posy rings with extensive examples ranging from the medieval to the eighteenth century, see Scarisbrick 2021; for further studies on posy inscriptions, see A Garland of Love: A Collection of Posy-Ring Mottoes, London, 1907; Dalton 1912, pp. 174 ff.; Evans 1931; Oman 1974, pp. 39 ff.; Taylor and Scarisbrick 1978; Scarisbrick 2007, pp. 74 ff.