Buying a Vintage Engagement Ring: The Most Common Types

 

Vintage engagement rings can be stunningly beautiful—and quite different from the styles popular in modern jewelry stores. If you’re interested in buying a vintage style engagement ring to mark your engagement, these are the most common choices.

 

Victorian. Victorian engagement rings date from 1835 to around 1900. The Victorian style is very ornate, and many authentic Victorian engagement rings don’t feature diamonds. Pearl was considered the “traditional” gem in Victorian times, although pearl does not stand up well to day-to-day wear and isn’t recommended for today’s engagement rings.

 

Many Victorian rings featured a series of precious or semi-precious gems arranged in a row. Another Victorian tradition was the “dearest” or “regards” ring, which included an arrangement of gems with initials that spelled out these words.

 

In general, Victorian and Victorian-style engagement rings use yellow gold for the band. The style tends to be rather ornate, with rows of smaller diamonds or other gems. However, some later Victorian engagement rings can be quite simple—Tiffany’s introduced the six-prong solitaire in the late 1800’s.

Edwardian. Edwardian-style engagement rings often feature rose cuts: a round, domed style that has been in use in some form since the 16^th century. These rings date from around 1900-1920, and they also often feature platinum bands arranged in intricate scrollwork and filigree designs. 

 

Edwardian styles were typically complex and ornate. Birds, vines, hearts, flowers, and other natural touches along the band were common. Pave was a popular setting of the time as well. White gold and platinum were common band metals; yellow gold is very rare in engagement rings from this era.

 

Diamonds started to be more popular around this time, but did not become the typical gem for engagement rings until the years between the Great Depression and World War II. In addition to diamonds, gems such as sapphires and emeralds were popular during the Edwardian era.

Art Deco. This era saw the engagement ring re-designed in a streamlined, modern way to fit with the trends of the times. Dating from 1920-1930, the Art Deco era saw many square diamonds in step-cut designs, an emphasis on clarity rather than sparkle, and smooth, shiny platinum bands.

 

Diamonds were quite popular during this time, but there was also an emphasis on contrasting colors in Art Deco engagement rings. Many rings of this time featured multicolored arrangements of stones in severe, geometric designs. A series of small stones was more popular than one large stone, which was often prohibitively expensive.

When buying an antique engagement ring, be aware that many jewelers use the term “vintage” to refer to rings that are at least fifty years old. An “estate” engagement ring can be just as old as an antique or vintage ring, but it can also be more recent—and it’s always pre-owned. While estate engagement rings can be quite old, they are not necessarily vintage. 

 

In addition, some jewelers sell vintage-style engagement rings that are made after the fashion of a certain era—but are not actually from that time. Most jewelry vendors will be up front about this, but some may not be. When buying a vintage diamond ring, it’s important to get the ring appraised by a third party to ensure its authenticity.