Popular Styles for Vintage Engagement Rings
When shopping for vintage engagement rings, you should understand the different eras and styles for the three main categories of vintage engagement rings—Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco. This way, you can help narrow down the wide variety of vintage engagement rings that you will find on the market, and you can look for jewelers and vintage engagement ring dealers who are experts on the era whose style of rings you like the most.
Victorian-Era Vintage Engagement Rings (1835-1900)
Victorian-Era vintage engagement rings are from the years 1835 to 1900. These rings are often made from yellow or rose gold, so if you are looking for a platinum ring, you do not want to shop for a Victorian-era vintage engagement ring. You can find vintage engagement rings from the Victorian-era that are either very simple or extremely intricate. Often, the bands are carved in a variety of patterns, which is something that makes each one unique and extremely different from anything you will find on today’s engagement ring market. Diamonds became popular during the Victorian-era as the first diamond mines were discovered in South Africa during this period. However, the diamonds were cut differently than modern diamonds are now. The cut was called mine cut, which means there was an extra facet on the bottom. In other words, diamonds that are mine cut do not come to a sharp point at the bottom, but instead are flat. While mine cut diamonds are not considered as valuable today, the benefit of this is that you can buy a much larger diamond within a much smaller budget, and most people cannot tell the difference once the diamond is actually set in a ring. Also, the Victorian-Era is when Tiffany invented the six-prong solitaire ring, so you’ll see a lot of Victorian-Era vintage engagement rings in this six-prong setting. You might also find vintage engagement rings from the Victorian-Era that have a center pearl instead of a center diamond, but you should be wary of these rings. They were not made for every day use, and you are more likely to run into problems with them in the long-term.
Edwardian-Era Vintage Engagement Rings (1900-1920)
Edwardian-Era vintage engagement rings are from the beginning of the twentieth century until 1920. During this time period, platinum became the go-to metal for engagement rings, which meant jewelers started to make more intricate rings, with pierced shapes and different scrollwork on the bands, which made them look delicate and lacy. Also during this time, besides diamonds—which have never really lost their popularity since jewelers started using them—sapphires became popular for these rings. Edwardian-Era vintage engagement rings are wonderful choices if you want an engagement ring that is both delicate and unique. Often with Edwardian-Era vintage engagement rings, you’ll find rows of smaller diamonds, sometimes even sitting around the larger diamond, which help accentuate your center stone and make it appear larger than it is. This makes an Edwardian-Era vintage engagement ring a wonderful choice for a groom on a budget who still wants his fiancé to have a diamond that looks as big—if not bigger—from all of her girlfriends’ engagement rings.
Art Deco-Era Vintage Engagement Rings (1920-1930)
In the twenties, art deco-era engagement rings became popular. Currently, for engaged couples shopping for vintage engagement rings, art deco rings are the most popular style on the market. With the burgeoning technology, the jazz age, and an overall cultural revolution that came with this, engagement rings moved away from a more traditional look and shifted to a more modern design. Art Deco-Era vintage engagement rings feature geometric designs. These were often made of platinum, which remained popular after it was invented. Also, besides diamonds, different color gemstones of contrasting, bright colors became the popular stones to use in engagement rings.
Whatever era you choose as your favorite, when shopping for vintage engagement rings, make sure you go to a reputable dealer who will sell you a high-quality vintage engagement ring without hidden flaws or cracks in the stone and with strong prongs to hold the diamonds or gemstones in place.
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