Love Symbols and Meanings: 25 Symbols of Love From Around the World
Love symbols and meanings go back thousands of years, and the most familiar ones each tell a story. The heart shape stands for love itself. Cupid's arrow stands for falling in love suddenly. A ring, a circle with no end, stands for a promise that lasts. Clasped hands mean faith and trust, a knot means two lives tied together, and a pair of swans or doves means a devoted couple. Around the world you'll also find carved Welsh lovespoons, Irish Claddagh rings and the Chinese "double happiness" character at weddings.
This guide covers 25 symbols of love from around the world. For each one, you'll find what it means, where it comes from, and how people use it today. Where there's a museum object, an ancient text or an official record behind a symbol, we link it, so you can see the evidence for yourself. Where a symbol's origin is uncertain or tied to a legend, we say so plainly.
Love symbols and meanings at a glance
Here's the full list in one table. The numbers match the sections below.
| # | Symbol | Main meaning | Where it's from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heart shape | Love, feeling, the self | Europe, now worldwide |
| 2 | The color red | Passion and warmth | Many cultures |
| 3 | Cupid | The spirit of romantic love | Ancient Rome (Eros in Greece) |
| 4 | Cupid's arrow | Falling in love suddenly | Classical myth, told by Ovid |
| 5 | Golden apple | Love won through a gift | Greek and Roman myth |
| 6 | Red rose | Romantic love | Europe, now worldwide |
| 7 | Swans | A devoted pair, grace | Europe and beyond |
| 8 | Doves | Gentle love and peace | Mediterranean and beyond |
| 9 | Lovebirds | Closeness and affection | Named after small African parrots |
| 10 | Mandarin ducks | A faithful married couple | China |
| 11 | Infinity sign | Endless love | A math symbol from 1655 |
| 12 | Love knot | Two lives tied together | Britain and Europe |
| 13 | Wedding ring | A promise without end | Roman times onward |
| 14 | Clasped hands (fede) | Faith and trust | Ancient Rome, revived in the Middle Ages |
| 15 | Posy ring | A secret message of love | England and France |
| 16 | Claddagh | Love, friendship and loyalty | Galway, Ireland |
| 17 | Welsh lovespoon | A handmade token of devotion | Wales |
| 18 | Twin hearts | Love returned | Welsh lovespoons and beyond |
| 19 | Lock and key | Security, "the key to my heart" | Lovespoons, modern love locks |
| 20 | Chain links | Loyalty, a couple bound together | Welsh lovespoons |
| 21 | Wheel | Working hard and guiding a loved one | Welsh lovespoons |
| 22 | Paisley or comma shape | The soul and deep affection | Welsh lovespoons |
| 23 | Double happiness (囍) | Love, marriage and marital bliss | China |
| 24 | Red thread of fate | Destined love | East Asian folklore |
| 25 | X as a kiss | A kiss in writing | English-speaking countries |
The heart, the color red and Cupid
1. The heart shape
The heart shape is the most recognized love symbol on Earth. Oddly, it doesn't look much like a real human heart. Historians still debate how this rounded, two-lobed shape came to mean love, and no single theory has been proven. What we do know is that by the late Middle Ages, European artists were drawing hearts to stand for feelings, devotion and the self, and the shape went on to appear on playing cards, valentines and jewelry.
Today the heart is everywhere, from greeting cards to text messages. It even became a digital character. The red heart you can type on your phone has a code point in the Unicode Standard, and it sits in a whole family of colored hearts, each with its own shade of meaning.
What it means: love in every form, romantic, family and friendly. How it's used: cards, gifts, jewelry, tattoos, signatures and, of course, emoji.
2. The color red
Red is the color of love in much of the world. It's the color of blood and of blushing cheeks, so it naturally suggests strong feeling, warmth and life. In Western traditions red goes with Valentine's Day and red roses. In Chinese tradition, red is the color of joy and good fortune, which is why brides often wear red and why the double happiness symbol (number 23 below) is usually printed in red or gold.
What it means: passion, warmth and celebration. How it's used: roses, hearts, wedding clothing and decorations.
3. Cupid
Cupid is the Roman god of love, a winged figure who's often shown as a chubby child with a bow. The Greeks called him Eros. In many myths he's the son of Venus (Aphrodite to the Greeks), the goddess of love. Ancient poets made him a powerful and mischievous god, and later artists softened him into the cherub you see on valentines today.
What it means: the spark of romantic attraction, the moment someone "catches" you. How it's used: Valentine's Day art, wedding decorations and phrases like "Cupid struck."
Love symbols from myth: arrows, apples and roses
4. Cupid's arrow
Why does an arrow mean love? The idea comes from ancient poetry, and one of the clearest versions is in Ovid's Metamorphoses, a Latin poem from ancient Rome. In the story of Apollo and Daphne, Cupid takes two arrows from his quiver. As Ovid tells it in Book 1, lines 452 to 524 (in Brookes More's 1922 English translation, hosted by Tufts University's Perseus Digital Library), one arrow is golden and sharp and makes its target fall in love. The other is blunt and tipped with lead, and it drives love away.
Cupid shoots Apollo with the golden arrow and Daphne with the lead one. Apollo falls madly in love, while Daphne wants nothing to do with him, and the story goes from there. The image of love as a sudden wound from an invisible arrow stuck, and it's still how we talk about falling in love: you're "struck," you didn't see it coming, and you can't quite pull it out.
What it means: sudden, unplanned love. Fun fact: the less famous lead arrow is a handy symbol too, for a crush that just isn't returned.
5. The golden apple
Apples show up in many love stories from Greek and Roman myth. In Ovid's tale of Atalanta and Hippomenes, the young Hippomenes wants to marry Atalanta, a runner so fast that no suitor can beat her in a race. In Book 10 of the Metamorphoses, Venus tells how she had three golden apples from a sacred tree in a field on Cyprus, and how she secretly taught Hippomenes how to use them. In the race that follows, he drops the apples one by one, Atalanta stops to pick them up, and he wins.
What it means: love won through cleverness and a well-chosen gift. Apples in general have long been linked with love, desire and choice in European art and stories.
6. The red rose
The rose may be the most famous flower of love. In the Victorian "language of flowers," a red rose meant romantic love, and that meaning has stuck. Roses also show up in one of the best-known lines about names in all of English. In Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, scene 2, Juliet says:
What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other word would smell as sweet.
Those are lines 46 to 47 in the Folger edition. Juliet means that Romeo would be just as lovable with a different family name. It's the perfect motto for anyone choosing a pet name: what matters is the person, and the name is just a way to say so.
What it means: romantic love, beauty and admiration. Other colors carry other meanings, such as yellow for friendship, though those meanings varied between old flower dictionaries.
Birds as love symbols
7. Swans
Two swans facing each other, necks curved to form a heart, may be the most romantic picture in nature. And it's real. The UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds describes the mute swan's courtship as a "beautifully synchronised courtship display out on the water," in which pairs bow to each other with raised wings and then twine their necks together, often forming a heart shape. The RSPB also notes that the pair builds the nest together, and that while the female sits on the eggs, her partner stands guard.
What it means: a devoted, graceful partnership. How it's used: wedding cakes, cards and decorations, often as a pair.
8. Doves
White doves are a symbol of gentle love and of peace. In ancient Mediterranean art, doves were often shown with the goddess of love, and in many faith traditions the dove stands for peace and the Spirit. Releasing doves at weddings became a popular tradition, and a pair of "turtle doves" has stood for true love in English songs and stories for centuries.
What it means: tenderness, faithfulness and peace. How it's used: wedding invitations, cake toppers and anniversary cards.
9. Lovebirds
Lovebirds are small parrots from Africa, named for the way pairs sit close together and preen each other. The word "lovebirds" is now used for any affectionate couple, as in "look at those two lovebirds."
What it means: closeness and constant affection. How it's used: nicknames for couples, wedding themes and cute art.
10. Mandarin ducks
In Chinese tradition, a pair of mandarin ducks stands for a loving, faithful married couple. You'll see them on wedding gifts, bedding and paintings, almost always as a pair, since one duck on its own misses the point.
What it means: marital harmony and lifelong partnership.
Shapes and lines: the infinity sign and the love knot
11. The infinity sign
The sideways figure eight is one of the most popular modern love symbols, especially for rings, bracelets and couples' tattoos. It started out as math. According to the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive at the University of St Andrews, the English mathematician John Wallis is "famed for the first use of the symbol" in his Tract on Conic Sections of 1655, and he used it again in his Arithmetica infinitorum of 1656.
So the infinity sign has been around for about 370 years (2026 minus 1655 is 371), but its romantic use is much newer. People took a sign meaning "goes on without end" and applied it to love. Some couples draw it with their two initials, one in each loop.
What it means: forever love, a bond with no end.
12. The love knot
Knots have stood for love and loyalty in English-speaking cultures for centuries. A "true lover's knot" usually means two loops woven together so they can't be pulled apart. That's also where we get the phrase "tie the knot" for getting married. Knots turn up in old ballads, carved into lovespoons as Celtic knotwork, and in jewelry today.
What it means: two lives joined, a bond that holds tighter under strain. Try it: some couples include a knot-tying moment in their wedding ceremony.
Rings and hands: love you can wear
13. The wedding ring
A ring is a circle, with no beginning and no end, which makes it a natural symbol of lasting love. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London notes on its record for an early 17th-century English posy ring that rings "have been love gifts and marriage symbols since Roman times," and that the plain gold band was very common as a marriage ring in early modern Europe.
What it means: a promise meant to last. How it's used: engagement and wedding rings, promise rings and anniversary bands.
14. Clasped hands (the fede ring)
Two right hands joined together are an old sign of a promise, the same gesture as a handshake to seal a deal. On rings, the design is called fede. The V&A holds a Roman gold ring from the 2nd or 3rd century with clasped hands cast on the bezel (the top of the ring), which the museum calls "a love motif later known as fede." The name comes from the Italian mani in fede, "hands clasped in faith," and the museum says the design was revived in the 12th century.
What it means: faith, trust and a pledge between two people.
15. The posy ring
A posy ring is a gold band with a short love message engraved on it, often on the inside where only the wearer knows it's there. According to the V&A, the name comes from the French poésie, meaning poem. Some mottoes were standard phrases a jeweler might suggest, while others were chosen by the giver.
The V&A's early 17th-century English example is inscribed "KEPE FAYTH TEIL DETHE," which the museum reads as "keep faith till death," possibly echoing the marriage vow. It's a lovely reminder that people four hundred years ago wanted a private message from their sweetheart, just like we do with engraved rings today.
What it means: a secret, personal promise. Try it: engrave a pet name or a date inside a ring.
16. The Claddagh
The Claddagh (say "CLAD-uh") is Ireland's best-known love symbol: two hands holding a heart topped with a crown. The design takes its name from the Claddagh, a fishing village near Galway. The V&A has a gold Claddagh ring made in Galway between 1750 and 1800 by the goldsmith Andrew Robinson, described as "formed of a crowned heart held between two hands." The museum calls it "a variety of fede ring," which ties it straight back to the Roman clasped hands above.
The parts are commonly read this way: the heart means love, the hands mean friendship, and the crown means loyalty. There are also local customs about which hand and which direction you wear it to show whether you're single, dating, engaged or married. A separate guide on this site will cover the Claddagh's legend and wearing customs in depth.
What it means: love, friendship and loyalty, all at once.
Welsh lovespoons: a whole language of carved symbols
17. The lovespoon
In Wales, young men once carved wooden spoons by hand as gifts for the women they admired. Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, explains in its article on Welsh love spoons that carvers used simple tools such as small pocket knives, and ideally carved each spoon from a single piece of wood. Close-grained woods like sycamore, box and fruit woods were especially popular. The museum's oldest dated spoon is from 1667, and most of its collection dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.
A lovespoon showed patience and skill, and maybe a hint that the carver could make a good home. Today, lovespoons are given for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and christenings, according to the museum.
What makes lovespoons special is that every carved shape carries a meaning. Several of the symbols that follow come straight from the lovespoon tradition.
| Carved symbol | Meaning, according to Museum Wales |
|---|---|
| Hearts | Passion and deep feeling; twin hearts may show mutual love |
| Double bowls | The union of two souls, or possibly the number of children wished for |
| Comma or paisley shape | The soul and deep affection |
| Balls in a cage | The number of children wished for, or a man held captive by love |
| Chain links | Loyalty and faithfulness, or a couple bound together |
| Diamonds | A wish for prosperity and a promise to provide well |
| Keys and keyholes | Security, or the key to one's heart |
| Wheel | A vow to work hard and guide a loved one through life |
18. Twin hearts
One heart says "I love you." Two hearts side by side say "and you love me back." Museum Wales notes that twin hearts on a lovespoon may signal mutual love. The same idea shows up in modern jewelry, interlocking heart pendants and, yes, the "two hearts" emoji.
19. Lock and key
Keys and keyholes on a lovespoon stand for security, or for "the key to one's heart," according to the museum. A lock and key make a perfect pair: one keeps something safe, the other opens it, and neither works alone. That's why matching lock-and-key necklaces are such a popular couple's gift. The same idea, taken outdoors, became the love lock tradition on bridges, which has its own long story.
20. Chain links
Carved chains, made from a single piece of wood with no joins, are a show-off feature of lovespoon carving. Museum Wales says they stand for loyalty and faithfulness, or a couple bound together. It's a strong image: separate links that can move freely but can't come apart.
21. The wheel
A wheel on a lovespoon is a vow to work hard and guide a loved one through life, according to the museum. It's a practical, down-to-earth kind of love symbol: less about romance, more about "I'll help carry the load."
22. The paisley or comma shape
This teardrop shape, sometimes called a comma or paisley, stands for the soul and deep affection on Welsh lovespoons. Two of them curled together can suggest two souls joined.
Love symbols from East Asia
23. Double happiness (囍)
At Chinese weddings, you'll see a special character everywhere: on invitations, red paper cutouts, gifts and decorations. It's 囍, called shuāngxǐ (roughly "shwahng-shee"), which means "double happiness." It's made by joining two copies of 喜 (xǐ, "joy") side by side into one character.
A 2014 proposal to the Unicode Consortium, "Six New Symbols from Chinese Folk Religion" by Shervin Afshar and Roozbeh Pournader, describes double happiness as "representing love, marriage and marital bliss" and notes that it "appears on wedding decorations." The proposal explains that 喜 (happiness) is one of the "Five-fold Happiness" symbols, alongside luck, prosperity, longevity and wealth, and that double happiness is a variation of it used as a symbol of love and marriage. The proposal suggested a rounded version for encoding, named ROUNDED SYMBOL FOR SHUANGXI, at code point U+1F264.
What it means: the joy of two people becoming one couple, doubled.
24. The red thread of fate
In Chinese and Japanese folklore, an invisible red thread ties together two people who are destined to meet. The thread can stretch or tangle, the story goes, but it never breaks. It's a sweet way to think about how couples find each other, no matter how far apart they start. If you love this kind of tradition, our guides to Japanese pet names and pet names from around the world are full of words with similar warmth.
What it means: destined love that finds a way.
Letters and marks: X as a kiss
25. X as a kiss
Ending a note with "x" or "xx" means kisses, and "xoxo" means hugs and kisses. The X looks a bit like two pairs of lips meeting, and the O like arms wrapped in a hug. Where the custom came from is debated, with stories linking it to old signatures and crosses on letters. That history deserves its own article, and we'll cover it separately. Either way, the X is now one of the most-used love symbols in everyday writing.
What it means: a kiss, a sign of affection. How it's used: texts, cards, letters and sign-offs between partners, family and close friends.
How love symbols travel and change
Looking at all 25 together, a few patterns stand out.
- Old symbols get new jobs. The infinity sign began as a math symbol in 1655. The red heart became an emoji. Symbols keep moving into new places.
- Many symbols are about pairs. Swans, doves, mandarin ducks, twin hearts, lock and key, clasped hands. Love symbols often need two parts to make sense.
- Many symbols are about binding. Knots, chains, rings, threads and locks all say "these two belong together."
- Craft matters. A hand-carved lovespoon or an engraved posy ring means more because someone took time over it.
- Meanings vary. Red means passion in one place and good fortune in another. Flower meanings varied from one old flower dictionary to the next. A symbol means what the people sharing it agree it means.
Love symbols that became pet names
Many of the symbols in this guide have slipped into everyday speech as nicknames. When you call someone by one of them, you're borrowing a little of the symbol's meaning.
- "Sweetheart" and "my heart": the heart symbol turned into words. "Sweetheart" is one of the oldest pet names in English, and many languages have their own version, like "mon coeur" in French and "mi corazón" in Spanish.
- "Dove" and "lovey-dovey": the gentle dove gives us a soft, old-fashioned pet name, and "lovey-dovey" describes couples who can't stop being affectionate.
- "Lovebirds": what friends call a couple who are always together.
- "Rose" and "my rose": a classic flower name for a sweetheart, with all the romance of the red rose.
- "Cupid": a playful name for a friend who sets people up, or for a partner who's always planning romantic surprises.
- "Angel": close kin to the winged Cupid of later art, and one of the most popular pet names around.
- "Forever" or "my always": the infinity sign put into words.
- "Swan": rare, but elegant, for a partner who's graceful.
That's not a coincidence. Pet names and love symbols do the same job: they take a big, hard-to-say feeling and pack it into something small that you can share every day. If that idea interests you, our article on the psychology of pet names looks at why couples create these private words.
Choosing a symbol for a gift
When you're picking a love symbol for a gift, think about the message as much as the look.
- For a new relationship: lighter symbols, like a single flower, a lovebird charm or a small heart, feel sweet without feeling like a big step.
- For a promise: a ring, clasped hands or a knot speaks of commitment.
- For a partner who loves history: a posy-style engraved ring, a Claddagh or a carved spoon carries a story along with the sentiment.
- For a partner far away: the red thread of fate or a lock-and-key pair, where each of you keeps half.
- For a wedding: pairs work best, like two swans, two doves, two linked rings or double happiness.
And whatever symbol you choose, add a few handwritten words. A heart says "love." A heart with "for my favorite person, always" says "love, from me to you."
Common mix-ups about love symbols
"The heart shape is based on the real heart"
Not really. The symbol looks very little like the human heart, and historians still debate where the shape came from. It became the heart of love through art and use, not anatomy.
"Cupid is a baby angel"
Cupid is a Roman god, not an angel. The chubby cherub look came from later art. In ancient stories, he's a powerful force who can make even gods fall in love, as his arrows in Ovid show.
"The infinity sign is an ancient love symbol"
The sign itself dates to John Wallis in 1655, according to MacTutor, and it was a math symbol long before it was a romantic one.
"The Claddagh is only a wedding ring"
The Claddagh can be a friendship ring, a promise ring, an engagement ring or a wedding ring. The way it's worn is what changes the message.
"Lovespoons were for eating"
Some early ones might have been usable, but many decorated lovespoons were clearly made for show, as tokens of affection rather than kitchen tools.
Try it yourself: create your own couple symbol
Many couples end up with a private symbol, a doodle or shape that means "us." Here's an easy way to make one.
- Pick a base symbol from this list that fits your relationship. Adventurous? Try the infinity sign. Steady and loyal? Try chain links or a knot. Destined? Try the red thread.
- Add your initials. Put one initial in each loop of the infinity sign, or on each side of a heart, or at each end of a red thread.
- Add one personal detail. A tiny star for where you met, a wave for a beach trip, a coffee cup for your first date.
- Use it in small places. On notes, as a sign-off in texts, on a phone wallpaper, on a homemade card.
- Pair it with a nickname. A symbol and a pet name go well together. Our guides to couple nicknames and matching nicknames for couples have lots of pairs to choose from.
A worked example
Here's an illustrative example with made-up people. Lena and Marcus met at a wedding where the cake had two sugar swans on top. For their first anniversary, Lena draws two swans with necks curved into a heart, writes "L" on one and "M" on the other, and adds a tiny cake slice underneath. She puts it on a card. Marcus loves it so much that it becomes their symbol: he signs texts with "two swans," she doodles it on lunch notes, and years later they use it on their own wedding invitations.
Love symbols for special occasions
- Valentine's Day: hearts, red roses, Cupid's arrow and X kisses. Our Valentine's Day ideas show ways to work them in.
- Engagements: rings, the Claddagh, posy-style engraving and the infinity sign.
- Weddings: doves, swans, knots, double happiness and lovespoons.
- Anniversaries: a lovespoon with a symbol for each year, chain links, or a new engraved ring.
- Long-distance love: the red thread of fate is a perfect fit.
- New relationships: lighter symbols, like a single flower, a doodled heart or a pair of lovebirds, feel sweet without being too serious.
Wrapping up
Love symbols and meanings tell the story of how people have always tried to make a feeling visible. Some come from myth, like Cupid's golden arrow and Venus's golden apples. Some come from nature, like swans curving their necks into a heart. Some come from craft, like Welsh lovespoons and Irish Claddagh rings, and some from writing, like 囍 at a Chinese wedding or an X at the end of a text. Pick the ones that fit your story, or make one of your own.
Looking for a name to go with your symbol? Try our free nickname generator. You choose who it's for and a vibe, like cute and sweet, romantic or unique, and it suggests nicknames with a short "why it works" note for each. Save favorites to a shortlist, or try the Couple Name Mixer to blend your two names into one. For the bigger picture of why couples love pet names, see our guide to terms of endearment.
Which Love Symbol Fits Which Gift
This table matches common situations with the symbols from the article, so you can pick one that suits the moment.
| Situation | Symbols to consider | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| A new relationship | A single flower, a lovebird charm or a small heart | Sweet without feeling like a big step |
| A promise | A ring, clasped hands or a knot | Speaks of commitment |
| A partner who loves history | A posy-style engraved ring, a Claddagh or a carved spoon | Carries a story along with the sentiment |
| A partner far away | The red thread of fate or a lock-and-key pair | Each of you keeps half |
| A wedding | Two swans, two doves, two linked rings or double happiness | Pairs work best |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common symbol of love?
The heart shape is the most widely recognized symbol of love in the world. You'll find it on cards, jewelry, signs and, of course, in text messages, where the red heart is one of the most used emoji. Other very common love symbols include the red rose, the wedding ring, Cupid and his arrow, and a pair of doves or swans. Which one fits best depends on the moment, from a playful text to a formal wedding.
Why is Cupid's arrow a symbol of love?
The idea comes from ancient poetry. In Ovid's Metamorphoses, Cupid has two kinds of arrows. A golden, sharp arrow makes its target fall in love, and a blunt arrow tipped with lead drives love away. In the story of Apollo and Daphne, he shoots Apollo with the golden one and Daphne with the lead one. The picture of love as a sudden, invisible wound stuck, which is why we still say someone was struck by Cupid's arrow.
What does the infinity symbol mean in a relationship?
In a relationship, the infinity sign stands for love without end. It started out as a math symbol. According to the MacTutor History of Mathematics archive at the University of St Andrews, John Wallis was the first to use it, in his Tract on Conic Sections of 1655. Couples later borrowed it for rings, bracelets and tattoos because it says forever so simply. Some couples draw it with one partner's initial in each loop.
What do the hands, heart and crown on a Claddagh ring mean?
The Claddagh shows two hands holding a heart topped with a crown. The parts are commonly read as friendship for the hands, love for the heart and loyalty for the crown. The design comes from the Galway area of Ireland, and the Victoria and Albert Museum holds a gold Claddagh ring made in Galway between 1750 and 1800. The museum describes it as a variety of fede ring, an older type of ring with clasped hands.
What does a Welsh lovespoon mean?
A Welsh lovespoon is a carved wooden spoon given as a token of love. Museum Wales says young men are generally believed to have carved them for the women they admired, often from a single piece of wood such as sycamore. The museum's oldest dated spoon is from 1667. Each carved shape has a meaning: hearts for love, chain links for loyalty, keys for security, a wheel for working hard to guide a loved one through life.
What is the Chinese symbol for love and marriage?
At weddings, the best-known symbol is double happiness, written 囍 and pronounced shuāngxǐ. It joins two copies of the character 喜, meaning joy, into one. A 2014 proposal to the Unicode Consortium describes it as representing love, marriage and marital bliss and notes that it appears on wedding decorations. It's usually printed in red or gold and shows up on invitations, paper cutouts, gifts and decorations throughout a Chinese wedding celebration.
Why are swans a symbol of love?
Swans are known for graceful courtship and close pairs. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds describes the mute swan's spring courtship display, in which pairs bow to each other with raised wings and then twine their necks together, often forming a heart shape. The pair builds the nest together, and the male stands guard while the female sits on the eggs. That picture of devotion makes swans a favorite symbol for weddings and anniversaries.
What is a posy ring?
A posy ring is a gold band with a short love message engraved on it, often on the inside. According to the Victoria and Albert Museum, the name comes from the French word poésie, meaning poem. Some messages were standard mottoes a jeweler might suggest, and others were chosen by the giver. One early 17th-century English example at the museum reads KEPE FAYTH TEIL DETHE, meaning keep faith till death. Couples still engrave rings in the same spirit today.
What symbols represent eternal love?
Several symbols stand for love that lasts. The ring is a circle with no beginning or end. The infinity sign means endless. Knots and chain links show two lives joined so they can't easily come apart. A lock with a thrown-away key suggests a bond that can't be undone. The red thread of fate, from East Asian folklore, ties together people destined to meet. Many couples pick one of these for engagement rings, tattoos or wedding decorations.
Sources
We checked every source below while writing this guide. Last reviewed October 30, 2026, by Joan Ramos.
- Metamorphoses, Book 1, lines 452-524 (Apollo and Daphne), trans. Brookes More, 1922 (Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University)
- Metamorphoses, Book 10, lines 560-651 (Atalanta and Hippomenes), trans. Brookes More, 1922 (Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University)
- Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2 (Folger Shakespeare Library)
- Mute Swan (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB))
- John Wallis (biography) (MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews)
- Ring (posy ring, early 17th century, M.71-1960) (Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Ring (Roman fede ring, 2nd or 3rd century, M.136-1962) (Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Ring (Claddagh ring, Galway, 1750-1800, M.12-1961) (Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Welsh love spoons (Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales)
- Six New Symbols from Chinese Folk Religion (L2/14-278R2), Afshar and Pournader, 2014 (Unicode Consortium)
