Posy rings are unmistakably romantic. Taking their name from the French poésie or poem, "posy rings" bear short, often rhyming inscriptions and love mottos. In the Gothic era, such inscriptions were engraved on the outside of the hoop. Well-established by the Tudor and Elizabethan periods, the posies were now concealed on the inside and thus the message was known only to the wearer and giver. Serving as gifts between friends, family, and lovers, as well as wedding rings, they even featured in the plays of William Shakespeare.