Mid 18th Century Gold Posy Ring

Unearthed from the soil in West Sussex, this is a ring that sings with history, a story inscribed into its surface, a promise etched forever in gold, a memory loved and lost, returned to the earth to be forgotten, until it was found again… 

A breathtaking Mid 18th-century posy ring, circa 1740-42, comprising a D-profile hoop, inscribed to the interior in an elegant antique script; 'Thy desert hath won my heart.’ Formed in 18ct gold, this historic treasure is a truly rare piece of the past - a tantalising window through time.
 
The term posy ring comes from the word ‘posy’ or ‘poesy,’ derived from the word ‘poetry’ to mean short rhyme. Posy rings were most often used to communicate secret messages of love, and were popular from the late medieval period onwards. Inscribed to the interior of the band, the wearing of the words against the skin was believed to strengthen their poignancy. 

This inscription is a poetic way of saying, ‘It is your worth/merit that has won my heart.’ ‘Desert’ as a noun dates to the 13th century and is unrelated to our current meaning of the noun ‘desert’ being barren land. The word appears in this context in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 72: ‘For I am shamed by that which I bring forth, / And so should you, to love things nothing worth; / Then if he have my deserts, let him know / My deserts were nothing to deserve his love.’ The phrase ‘to get one’s just deserts’ was a popular idiom by the 16th century, meaning to receive what one deserves, good or bad. It originates from ‘deserts’ in English to mean ‘that which one deserves,’ deriving from the Old French word ‘deservir,’ meaning ‘to deserve’ or ‘to earn.’ 

This historic piece was unearthed in 2024 by a metal detectorist in Bramber, Horsham, West Sussex. It was inspected by the Portable Antiquities Scheme as per policy before being deemed ‘not Treasure’ under the Treasure Act 1996, and returned to the finder. Please find full report on the last image.
 
 

“Between two worlds life hovers like a star, twixt night and morn, upon the horizon's verge.”
 
~ Lord George Gordon Byron