Vintage Engagement Ring
A vintage engagement ring is one that doesn’t look new or modern. It can be an authentic antique ring or one that was designed to look old.
Though the term “vintage” does not require that the piece to be genuinely old. If you are thinking of purchasing a vintage ring, you'll have to take extra care investigating the quality and condition of the piece. For many people, vintage rings mean a lot to them. It is timeless, unique classical. Vintage pieces are gifted with far more characters than modern rings, and vintage pieces can often become heirlooms that could be passed down for generations.
While some of the rings can certainly be dated back for decades, some of the most popular designs date back to the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of these earlier rings have intricate filigree designs and featured small diamonds exquisitely placed in a gold setting. Not all the vintage engagement ring used diamonds. Stones like rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are also popular vintage stones.
Vintage Cuts
Because the jewelers at that time didn't have the access to the precise-cut technology we use today, they had to cut each stone with great caution. Because of the crude technology, many truly vintage and antique stones still might have chips, scratches, or flaws along the edges or surfaces of the stones. While these flaws may depreciate the piece slightly, that depreciation is often countered by the intricacy and age of the ring.
Vintage Metals
Platinum wasn't so widely used in engagement rings until the beginning of the 1900's. Until then, yellow gold was the most prominent metal in all engagement rings. In the early twentieth century, platinum engagement rings gradually gained its popularity, but as wars, particularly World War II, demanded large amount of platinum for military manufacturing, yellow gold once again regained its popularity. Today, ring purchasers can choose from white gold, yellow gold, and platinum, as well as various other combinations.
Vintage Ring Purchase Tips
There are several points you need to keep in mind when purchasing for the vintage engagement ring.
Vintage rings are often quite delicate, with intricate patterns and tiny accent stones. Be sure you have the ring examined thoroughly and understand what repairs might be necessary, along with any extra maintenance costs.
Older rings often have the accumulated dirt and oils of decades of ring fingers embedded in the prongs, setting, and other tiny niches of the ring, and thus may not appear as dazzling as they were firstly made. Many jewelers should be able to clean the piece upon request, though this service may not be available at pawn stores, estate sales, and auctions.
If you are purchasing a gemstone other than a diamond, keep in mind that these stones may be quite a bit softer and more vulnerable due to time and everyday wear. Small flaws may be overlooked in favor of the age of the ring.
New Vintage Rings
Many jewelers now can produce the same delicate designs and intricate patterns of vintage engagement rings with new bands and stones. In fact, producing a new vintage ring would probably be less expensive than a genuine antique. Because modern technology makes this process easier, a “new” vintage ring may be less expensive than a true antique. Furthermore, by designing a new ring, you are guaranteed the quality of the stones and the durability of the ring, since many settings and metals used today are stronger
than those used previously.
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