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21.
Gimmel Fede Ring with Inscription “GAGE
D’AMITIE”
Probably England, c. 1750
Height 26 mm., exterior width of hoop 24 mm.
Weight 6.5 gr., US size 8.25, UK size Q ½
This gold ring is composed of three connecting hoops attached by a hinge. Soldered onto the outer
two are hands enameled in a natural skin tone with blue enameled, diamond-set cuffs. The central
hoop supports two entwined hearts, composed of a Burmese ruby in a gold collet setting and a
diamond set in silver. They are surmounted by a silver crown set with small diamonds. When worn,
both hands appear to support the hearts, and, when opened, the middle hoop reveals on one side
a finely engraved inscription: “GAGE D’AMITIE.”
In the eighteenth century the crowned heart became one of the most popular motifs
in rings, where it served as an expression of love. But, of course, jewelry had been used
as a means of communicating friendship, love, and desire long before that. In ancient
Greece, Eros, god of love, was featured on earrings to attract the opposite sex. He
was succeeded by his Roman counterpart, Cupid, as well as Venus, goddess of love, in
ancient Roman engravings on intaglios. In the Middle Ages, heart-shaped ring brooches
with mottoes were exchanged as tokens of love, whilst during the Renaissance and
Baroque periods goldsmiths made elaborate jewels the settings for allegorical scenes on
the subject. Today, the kinds of jewelry expressing love are vast and varied, but hearts like
those here continue to be one of the most powerful amatory emblems.
The crowned heart is just one of many elements reinforcing this ring’s message of love.
Its circular form, here emphasized by the three hoops, alludes to the eternal bond in
marriage. As a gimmel ring (from the Latin gemmelus, for “twin”), it unites multiple
hoops as one (see no. 20). The multiple hoops conceal a hidden message, “GAGE
D’AMITIE” (“token of friendship”), intended only for the eyes of the owner. The motif
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of the hands holding the twinned hearts goes back to the mani in fede, the clasped right
hands held in faith (see no. 20), though it is rare to find eighteenth-century examples of
the motif. The choice of gemstones reinforces the message. Deep red in color, the ruby
was traditionally the stone of passion and love, while the limpid diamond symbolizes
virtue and constancy.1 The settings for the gemstones, with gold for the ruby and silver
for the diamond, are quite characteristic of eighteenth-century practice. In particular,
the silver enhances the sparkle and whiteness of the diamond.
With its amatory motifs, this was made to be presented as a betrothal or marriage ring.
Rings with gem-set twinned hearts in all variations, albeit without the fede motif, were
given as expressions of affection for and loyalty to loved ones. Thus, among the many
sentimental emblems within J. H. Pouget’s 1764 collection of designs for jewelers,
emblems which include baskets of flowers, doves, and Cupid’s bow and quiver, one also
finds hearts in alliance surrounded by a wreath of forget-me-nots.2 At the time, European
jewelers would have looked to the latest fashions in France. However, both the style and
enameling suggest this ring may have been made in England.
Examples of rings with the twinned heart motif, most traditionally and commonly set
with rubies and diamonds,3 are to be found in many collections, such as the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford;4 the Victoria and Albert Museum, London;5 and the Alice and Louis
Koch Collection, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Zurich,6 as well as in private
collections. A similar ring with a gem-set heart in ruby and sapphire, surmounted by
a crown, was given to Queen Victoria as a child by her mother the Duchess of Kent.7
Other examples include emeralds, signifying hope.8
The motif of twinned hearts surmounted by a crown
symbolizes love and loyalty, reinforced by the meaning of
the stones: the ruby for love, the diamond for virtue and
constancy, and the emerald for hope.
Gold and Silver Ring with Twinned Hearts and Crown
Probably Spain, c. 1760
(Zurich, Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum,
Alice and Louis Koch Collection, 25.33)
Medieval lovers gave each other rings either to mark their
betrothal or celebrate their wedding. This ring has a fede
motif (clasped hands) on one side and, on the other, two
hands clasping a heart.
Fede Ring
Possibly Italy, 1400-1500
(London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 848-1871)
Notes:
3
4
5
6
7
8
1
2
136
Munn 1993, p. 57.
Scarisbrick 1993, pp. 136-37.
Scarisbrick 1993, pp. 134-35.
Scarisbrick and Henig 2003, pp. 70-71.
Church 2011, figs. 71, 74.
Chadour 1994, vol. 1, nos. 903-10.
Murdoch 1991, p. 125, pl. 2, no. 284.
Bury 1985, pl. 37; Munn 1993, p. 51; Scarisbrick 2007 [2014], figs. 116-19.
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Like the Irish Claddagh ring, made from c. 1700 to
today, this ring symbolizes love (the heart), friendship or
marriage (the clasped hands), and loyalty (the crown).
The inscription on the inside of the hoop confirms the
function of the ring to mark the occasion of the wedding
of “Dudley & Katherine united 26 Mar. 1706.”
Wedding Ring with Diamonds
England, c. 1706
(London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 302-1867)
Claddagh Gold Sign
Picture by Joseph Mischyshyn
This sign hangs above the Thomas Dillon Claddagh Gold
Museum at 1 Quay Street Galway. Thomas Dillon Claddagh Gold, established in 1750, was the original maker of
the Claddagh ring and also the oldest jeweler in Ireland.
Claddagh rings are still made today and many celebrities
have worn them, from Queen Victoria to Walt Disney to
John Wayne.
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