Antique Rings

What makes a ring antique

An antique ring is more than a hundred years old. Every ring on this page is an original of its period, from Georgian clusters made before 1837 to platinum rings of the 1920s and 1930s. Rings described as "in the style of" a period were made later and are not listed here.

Each listing gives the metal, the stones with their cut and measurements, the ring size in UK, US and EU sizes, and photographs from several angles.

Georgian rings, 1714 to 1837

Georgian jewellers set diamonds in silver over gold, often in closed settings, and cut them as rose cuts: a flat base under a dome of triangular facets. The rings here include a rose cut diamond ring of 4.40 carats on a later Victorian 15KT gold shank, a ruby and diamond cluster, a cabochon garnet and rose cut diamond cluster, and an 18KT gold portrait miniature ring with a painted lady under glass.

Victorian rings, 1837 to 1901

The Victorian section is the largest. Clusters and half hoops dominate: a Colombian emerald and diamond cluster in 9KT gold and silver, a three-stone Ceylon sapphire ring with rose cut diamonds, a five-stone sapphire ring in 15KT gold and a five-stone ruby ring of about 2.50 carats.

Snake rings became popular after Prince Albert gave Queen Victoria an emerald-set snake engagement ring in 1839; an 18KT gold diamond snake ring is in stock. Victorian pearls are natural, as in the cluster set with a 2.70 ct old European cut diamond.

Edwardian and early 20th century

Edwardian jewellers worked in platinum and fine gold, with natural pearls, rubies and old European cut diamonds in light, open mounts. In stock: a natural pearl and diamond cluster from about 1910, a natural ruby and old European cut diamond cluster, and a five-stone ruby ring in 18KT gold. Early 20th century pieces include a 2.60 ct old European cut diamond cluster and a turquoise and diamond cluster.

Art Deco rings

Art Deco rings, made from the 1920s to the late 1930s, are geometric and usually platinum. The Art Deco section includes an emerald and diamond plaque ring, a French Colombian emerald cluster of about 2.00 ct, a marquise sapphire ring with calibré-cut sapphire shoulders, a target cluster of old European cut diamonds totalling 2.32 carats, and a Chinese jade and diamond ring in platinum.

Old cut diamonds

Before modern cutting machines, diamonds were cut by hand to keep as much weight as possible. An old mine cut, used through the 18th and 19th centuries, has a cushion outline, a high crown and a small table. The old European cut followed from about 1890 to the 1930s: round, with a high crown and an open culet that shows as a small circle through the table. Both give broad flashes of light rather than the fine sparkle of a modern brilliant, and both feature throughout this collection.

Coloured stones

Coloured stones in antique rings are usually named by origin: Colombian for emeralds, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) for sapphires. Sapphires and rubies rank 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness, after diamond at 10; emeralds rank 7.5 to 8. Alongside them in stock are natural pearls, garnet, turquoise, topaz, jade and banded agate. Where a stone is natural or untreated, the listing says so.

Signet, intaglio and cameo rings

Seal and carved-stone rings form their own group: an early 20th century carnelian intaglio signet ring, a French 18KT gold signet ring engraved with a knight's helmet and heraldic shield, a Victorian carnelian cameo carved with a Bacchic mask, and a Victorian gold ring set with an 18th-century intaglio. An intaglio is carved into the stone; a cameo is carved in relief.

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 and 9KT were introduced in 1854, and 15KT was dropped in 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.