- But when words fail to express our feelings, lovers throughout history have turned to gifts.
- Whether given as part of a public romantic gesture, or in the quiet intimacy of a private moment, romantic gifts are a longstanding staple of romantic expression.
- But research shows that, if you really want to impress your sweetheart, jewellery and fashion accessories are the best options.
1. Sexy underwear, the Georgian way
- The corset’s predecessor, stays (fully boned laces bodices), were just a functional part of everyday dress for the Stuarts and Georgians, but they could still have romantic features.
- The busk was a long piece of wood, which slipped inside a channel at the front of the stays.
- Engraved with love poems, depictions of hearts, and sometimes even verses euphemistically referring to orgasms, these busks were often given as romantic gifts.
- Positioned between the breasts, the engraved rhymes often expressed jealousy for the busk, which got to intimately rest in the recipient’s cleavage.
2. Lovers’ eyes
Georgian lovers did not always conceal their love tokens in their underwear. Eye miniatures, also known as lovers’ eyes, were rings, brooches or pendants decorated with miniature paintings of a romantic partner’s eye. These were gifted between lovers as a wearable symbol of their love.
The Bible says that the eyes are the window to the soul, and the lover’s eye was considered an incredibly intimate form of portrait. Yet it was also very secretive and caused tantalising gossip. Much speculation ensued about who was wearing whose eye.
3. Lockets
- Early lockets often expressed religious devotion and familial connection, rather than romantic love.
- With the rise of mass manufacture in the 19th century, lockets became a cheaply available and widespread love token for the masses.
4. Hair jewellery
The practice of cutting a lock of your lover’s hair and wearing it in a locket close to your heart was historically widespread, but the Victorians took this trend even further.
- Hair jewellery – ornaments made from strands of human hair – was incredibly popular in 19th century Britain.
- While there were also commercial hair jewellery makers, some women crafted rings, bracelets and watch chains out of their lover’s hair at home.
5. Posey rings
Perhaps the most timeless of all wearable tokens of love is the posey ring. These simple gold bands, engraved with a romantic inscription, were consistently popular from the Medieval period. Their name comes from the French, poésy (poetry), referring to the words engraved inside.
- The inscriptions in these rings were often taken from published compendiums of sayings, such as The Mysteries of Love or the Arts of Wooing, published in 1658.
- Although it is doubtful that the wooden busk and hair-work jewellery will come back in fashion any time soon.
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Serena Dyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
