Antique Engagement Rings
How to Buy the Best One!
Antique engagement rings do not necessarily have to contain diamonds. Although the traditional engagement ring has a solitaire diamond, in Victorian times, these rings often contained pearls. When the DeBeers Company started mining diamonds in the late 19th century, it was only then that diamonds became popular for use in engagement rings and other jewelry. When you are looking for vintage engagement rings, you have to look at the cut of the diamond to tell whether the ring is actually antique.
Diamond Cuts for Vintage Rings
Since diamond cutting did not become a sophisticated technique until the 20th century, vintage and antique rings contain old mine diamonds. These diamonds have an extra facet on the bottom. The older cut is what adds charm to a ring, even if you are creating a new ring to look like an antique.
Other features of antique diamond bands include:
- Yellow gold was used in Victorian times
- Platinum can also be found in antique rings
- Some of the vintage diamond jewelry was topped with silver
Buying an antique ring means that you should understand the four C's of diamonds. The cut is the grade of the diamond and is arranged according to the letters of the alphabet. Diamonds rated in the bottom half of the alphabet are not of good quality so you would not be buying expensive jewelry. The color grades begin a D and progress through the letters of the alphabet as well. Colorless diamonds are much more expensive that those with traces of color. The cut of the diamond should be of the Old Mine variety and the carat depends on your pocketbook because this is the weight of the stone.
Settings on antique diamond rings have a style of workmanship that is seldom seen in today's engagement and wedding bands. One example of this is the platinum filigree work that was common in Edwardian times. If you plan to wear the vintage band every day, you will have to really take care of it. You will need to check the prongs and the stone on a regular basis to make sure they are secure and check for breaks in any filigree work. It would be a good idea to have a professional cleaning once a year.
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