Vintage engagement rings are a much sought after engagement ring look by women from all generations. The vintage look covers many design periods from Georgian through Victorian all the way through Edwardian, art Deco on up to Modern times.

Women who want the vintage look in their engagement ring are typically can’t tell a Victorian Era design from an Art deco design. They simply like a look that is at once timeless, stylish, full of character and can accommodate their diamond of choice.

Era Specific Engagement Ring Styles

With engagement rings styles from bygone eras you don’t have to worry about your engagement ring look going out of style.

Whether it’s an Edwardian Filigree style engagement ring or the long sharp lines and bright colors of an art deco styled engagement ring, it will be an enduring testament to your sense of style and taste when it comes to jewelry that is symbolic of the heart.

Check out this classically styled vintage engagement ring from the Edwardian period to the right.

It is never easy to try and figure out what style of vintage looking engagement ring you are best suited to. Nevertheless, most women seem to like vintage diamond engagement rings from the 1900s and onward.

These periods cover the curving vines and flowery looks of the art nouveau period through the more formal and less flamboyant looking Edwardian vintage antique engagement rings on through the more colorful art deco styles that use more variety of colored stones and enameling.

The Best Sources of Vintage Engagement Rings

Vintage style engagement rings can be found in the estate section of most jewelry stores. Usually this is just one or two showcases with jewelry that has been purchased from the public and has been re polished and buffed to look like new.

Some jewelers will make a real effort to procure a nice quality, genuine, antique engagement rings if you make a special request and perhaps leave a refundable deposit.

Many women have obscene amounts of jewelry sitting in their jewelry boxes handed down from their great aunt that they would like to get rid of at the right price.

Check out this beautiful art nouveau engagement ring to the right. Note the leaf motifs and the curvy shape appeal of the ring as you go up the shoulder to the head. Normally you would have a nice flat rose cut as a center diamond but in this case as you can see this ring has been mounted up with a modern round brilliant diamond of 58 facets.

A jeweler who has your deposit and your specific vintage engagement ring requirements in mind will be willing to pay a higher price to the public to secure such a ring for sale. In this way you can still find vintage rings that are still in good condition for a great price.

Reproduction Vintage Engagement Rings

The other option to consider is to look on the internet where there are a bevy of online jewelry retailers that specialize in antique jewelry and vintage inspired engagement rings that are basically reproductions of popular styles from even as far back as the Georgian and Victorian eras.

Many women prefer reproductions because they feel that it is a brand new ring with a vintage look and feel that hasn’t undergone any wear and tear.

Check out this Art Deco reproduction engagement ring to the left. Note the straight lines and the inclusion of sapphires as was typical for engagement rings of this period.

The other reason women prefer engagement ring reproductions over genuine antique engagement rings is that they feel there are no accompanying bad vibes that may be part and parcel of the history a ring that has been women by many women over the years.

A marriage is often considered as a fresh start and many women like to get a ring that has never been worn before although it may look like it has been handed down over the ages.

Vintage jewelry has a huge following of collectors and regular people who like to attend auctions to see what they can scoop up. Vintage jewelry is not necessarily antique jewelry although the two are used interchangeably at times or the term antique vintage jewelry is used.

Art deco refers to a period in art history where design was of paramount importance. There are quite a lot of areas covered her from interior decoration to car design. Art deco applied to all sorts of things including furniture, lighting, scent flacons, electrical appliances, cinema posters, and of course jewelry that ultimately did not look at all like the jewelry creations dripping with diamonds that were sold by French Jewelers. Art deco jewelry was made by very few artists who in their workshops created pendants, bangles and rings without restraint or conformity to the standards of the time.

Vintage silver jewelry from this period used cool materials like rock crystal that was transparently clear or given a matte finish. Light blue aquamarines adorned the vintage wedding jewelry of the time along with deep blue sapphires and sometimes amber colored topazes and citrines. Platinum and even stainless steel were used in various combinations to produce some of the most prolific vintage bridal jewelry of the time. They were striking but at the same time reticent and quite well coordinated. Materialistic ostentation was deprecated in the pure art deco scheme of things by jewelry makers such as Raymond Templier and Jean Foquet.

There was also a lot of vintage costume jewelry designed while precious jewelry was being made. For collectors who are looking for cheap vintage jewelry might look into the costume jewelry from the period they are interested in. After 1956 many designers started buying copyrights for their jewelry. Vintage rings from the Victorian period were made in pink and/or yellow gold. There weren’t too many diamonds mined during this period so most center stones in Victorian rings were used less precious gems surrounded by smaller diamonds. The Victorian period was the period in which Queen Victoria ruled England from 1837 to 1901. The Georgian period came before this and the Edwardian period came after this with Art Deco following. These are the major periods where most people start looking for nice pieces of vintage jewelry with value whether precious or costume pieces like vintage rhinestone jewelry.

The most common vintage diamond jewelry and vintage bridal jewelry come from the Edwardian period which saw platinum becoming the metal of choice for rings and vintage jewelry bracelets owing to its strength. Vintage wedding jewelry in the form of round and rose cut diamonds in the center with diamonds the sides with very intricate and highly detailed work on the head and shoulders of the ring. You can find many versions of this style in jewelry stores today if you go to their estate jewelry sections. Hearts, flowers and leaves were the common motifs used on these platinum rings from the Edwardian period. Platinum although denser and somewhat harder than gold is nevertheless gummier in nature and easier to work with when creating intricate carvings into the jewelry pieces. Being stronger platinum holds up quite well even with pieces that have had a lot of metal removed.