Antique Engagement Rings

Choosing an antique engagement ring

An antique engagement ring was made more than a hundred years ago; a vintage ring is younger, usually from the 1940s to the 1980s. Both are on this page, grouped by period so you can see how the style of each era differs.

Every ring is a single piece. Each listing gives the metal, the stones, their cut and measurements, the ring size in UK, US and EU sizes, and photographs from several angles.

Georgian and Victorian rings

Rings from before 1900 are set in gold, often with silver over the diamonds so the stones look whiter. The stock here includes a Georgian ruby and diamond cluster in gold. Victorian makers favoured clusters and half hoops: a five-stone sapphire ring in 15KT gold, a five-stone ruby half hoop, and a three-stone Ceylon sapphire ring set with rose cut diamonds.

The diamonds of this period are old mine and early old European cuts, cut by hand with a high crown and a small table. They show broad flashes of light rather than the fine sparkle of a modern brilliant. The Victorian natural pearl cluster carries a 2.70 ct old European cut diamond at its centre.

Edwardian and early 20th century

From about 1900, platinum let jewellers make lighter, more open settings. Edwardian rings pair diamonds with natural pearls and rubies in fine, lace-like mounts; the pearl and diamond cluster here dates from about 1910, and the five-stone ruby ring is in 18KT gold. Early 20th century rings in this section include a 2.60 ct old European cut diamond cluster and a turquoise and old cut diamond cluster.

Art Deco rings

Art Deco rings, made from the 1920s to the late 1930s, are geometric: plaques, step cuts, calibre-cut coloured stones and platinum. The Art Deco section includes an emerald and diamond plaque ring in platinum and 18ct gold, a French cluster with a Colombian emerald of about 2.00 ct, a marquise diamond plaque ring and a platinum ring with an old European cut diamond from the 1920s.

Rings described as "Art Deco style" were made later in the manner of the period. They are listed under vintage and later, not with the 1920s pieces.

Vintage and later rings

Rings from the 1940s onwards make up the largest group here. They include a three-stone diamond ring dated 1947 and inscribed, a 1950s blue zircon and diamond ring in 18KT white gold, a 1970s aquamarine and diamond ring, and an English opal and diamond ring from the 1970s.

Toi et moi rings set two stones side by side, one for each partner. The form goes back to the ring Napoleon gave Josephine in 1796; two are in stock, one with fancy coloured diamonds in platinum and one with an emerald and a diamond in 18KT white gold.

Reading the metal

British gold rings carry a fineness mark: 18 or 750 for 18KT, 15 for 15KT and 9 or 375 for 9KT. 15KT was a legal British standard only from 1854 to 1932, so a 15KT mark dates a ring to that window on its own. Platinum was not hallmarked in Britain until 1975, so earlier platinum rings are often unmarked or stamped PLAT. The metal of every ring is stated on its listing.

Coloured stones and signed jewellers

Sapphires and rubies rank 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, second only to diamond, which is why they have been set in engagement rings for centuries. Emeralds are softer at 7.5 to 8 and are usually given a protective setting such as a cluster of diamonds. Where a stone is natural, unheated or untreated ("no oil" for emeralds), the listing says so.

The signed section brings together rings by Mauboussin, Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co. The Mauboussin ring is set with an 8.56 ct unheated Burma sapphire; the Bulgari ring with a Burma ruby in platinum.

Seeing a ring in person

You can view any ring by appointment at our office in Mayfair, London, or at our office in Braintree, Essex. Each listing states the ring size, so you can compare it with a ring you already wear.