The History Behind Your Vintage Ring
 

 

What you need to know about the eras when antique and vintage rings were created is as follows:


1837–1901 – VICTORIAN
 

Consider: Queen Victoria established the jewelry fashion, which was rich in sentimental significance in an era of older, more traditional clothing and no platinum. The majority of the rings were made of yellow gold with silver-topped stone settings. The silver tips served as a backdrop, emphasising the hand-cut diamonds' understated brightness. Later, the diamonds could be put straight into yellow gold because to improvements in stone-cutting methods brought on by the Industrial Revolution. The most common fashions from this time period feature a lot of rings, which have appeared frequently throughout history.

 

1901–1915 EDWARDIAN/BELLE EPOQUE

Consider: less fuss, increased standing of women, and increased use of technology in the details.
In France, the Edwardian era was often referred to as the Belle Époque. Lighter, airier, and more ornate, lacy designs became possible because to changes in fashion as well as the discovery and usage of platinum as a metal for jewellery. Intricate filigree, piercing, and engraving work encircled platinum rings with diamonds bonded to 18K gold before technology eventually made pure platinum rings possible. The early styles have an ornate flair. Later rings continued to have feminine details, but they were less fussy and elaborate.

1915–1935 ART DECO

Consider: hints of modernity, cubism, Russian constructivism, and Italian futurism as influences
The anttique jewelry of the era mirrored the pinnacle of modernism, unconstrained by limitations and the more ornamental aspects of the past, and was characterised by clean, geometric streamlined silhouettes and bold graphic shapes. Although many designers of the time still valued the unique qualities of hand-cut diamonds, advances in diamond cutting techniques gave rise to the round brilliant cut that we are familiar with today as well as emerald, baguette, marquise, and trillion shape diamonds (imagine triangles) in understated settings.



1940-1965: RETRO 40s - MID 20th CENTURY


Consider: Victorian-period prosperity in the post-World War II era.
Platinum use for non-military purposes was prohibited in the US during World War II, pushing jewellers to use yellow and rose gold in novel ways. After the war, designs adopted a more fluid yet bold approach to the Art Deco movement's crisp lines. The design of the ring as a whole often included the centre stone. The majority of jewellery was larger and more overt. Following the war, platinum was once again the preferred metal for engagement rings among jewellers. Additionally, Victorian-era silhouettes made a resurgence.