Antique Engagement Rings

Antique engagement rings are sometimes called vintage engagement rings and vice versa however those terms aren't always interchangeable. 'Antique' is usually defined as something that is a 100+ years although the timeline will vary depending on the object.

For jewelry the 100 year standard applies, so any piece older than a century will be considered a genuine antique by definition.

Vintage on the other hand, specifically when referring to jewelry, has no defined timeline but describes pieces that come from multiple eras or decades that are distinct in their design.

These eras include Georgian, Early Victorian, Mid-Victorian, Late Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and Retro.

Antique & Vintage Jewelry Periods

Given the time chart below we can see that all vintage rings are not necessarily antiques while most antique rings would be considered vintage.

Georgian	1714-1837
Early Victorian	1837-1860
Mid-Victorian	1860-1880
Late Victorian	1880-1901
Art Nouveau	1890-1905
Arts & Crafts	1894-1923
Edwardian	1901-1919
Art Deco	1920-1935

In other words, all engagement rings made prior to the end of the Edwardian era  would be considered both vintage and antique.

Antique Engagement Ring Considerations

Many of us fall into the trap of being disappointed that most of the stones found in antique diamond engagement rings end up on the lower ends of today's grading scales, especially in terms of clarity.

100 years ago they didn't have the technology to spot internal flaws and inclusions. The diamonds and other gemstones they used were chosen for the stone's individual character and not based on scientific gemological grading scales.

We need to remember that antique rings come from a time when most things were made by hand. It wasn't until the mid 19th century that machines were invented to do some of the diamond cutting so every stone that was cut prior to that time were all individually cut by hand.

This was also true for any of the other gemstones used so you will never see an antique piece with a modern cut of gem, because the newer cuts are only feasible with advancements in modern technology.

Antique rings need to be appreciated for what they are and cannot and shouldn't be measured by today's standards.

Antique engagement rings are after all antiques, and they are desirable because of their age, beauty, rarity, and what they represent.

They represent a different time and place and that is why we like them. We like the table cut and cabochon stones found in earlier hand crafted pieces, and the Old Mine Cut diamonds and Old European Cut diamonds that were often the centerpiece of Edwardian engagement rings. We like that we don't see similar things today.

Antique Jewelry Today

Genuine antique engagement rings, like all period pieces, are getting harder to find these days. Specialty jewelers who trade solely in antique pieces and estate jewelry are probably your best bet for finding one and many of them are online—Fay Cullen and Lang Antiques are two names that come to mind.

However, if you're more interested in antique style than an actual period piece, those are much easier to find because many quality retailers offer vintage inspired engagement rings.