Victorian Rose Gold Regard Pansy Cluster Ring With Hands Either Side c1860

Victorian Rose Gold Regard Pansy Cluster Ring with Hands Either Side c1860.

In the 19th Century there was a vogue for rings set with coloured stones that spelled out a love word. These rings were given throughout Georgian and Victorian times as promise and marriage rings, with each letter of the gemstones spelling out a term of endearment. Words included Regard, Dearest, Adore and Love. The most popular was the REGARD ring represented with R – ruby, E – emerald, G – garnet, A – amethyst, R – ruby & D – diamond.  Sometimes the stones spelled out secret word only known to the lovers!

The pansy motif (pictured) has the added meaning of pensee, translating as “think”, with pansies becoming associated with the phrase pensee et moi, translating loosely to “think of me/remember me”.