The Top Three Eras Of Antique Engagement Rings

As a broad guideline, rings that are over 50-years-old are considered to be antiques, and can be classified into three broad "eras" or categories. The popularity of the eras are determined by individual tastes, as the saying goes "one persons trash is another persons treasure".

The Three Most Popular Eras Of Antique Engagement Rings

The three eras that are the most popular span the last 200 years, there are obviously other eras of antique engagement rings, but they are outside the scope of this article, the top 3 are:

The Victorian era lasted from 1835 until 1900. Antique engagement rings from this era have very simple, yet very elegant designs. Some of the designs from this time period can also be quite obscure. A lot of the rings from this era also have rows of lozenges in them. These are basically just 4-sided figures that have a diamond-like shape, which have been put there to add an additional aspect to these rings. Other rings from this time period use pearls, but these should not be given as an engagement ring because they are not meant to be worn on a daily basis, like engagement rings will be worn, since the pearls can be injured when they are worn in this manner.

The next era was called the Edwardian era, which lasted from 1900 to 1920. During this time period is when platinum became very prevalent. Therefore, the rings that were created during this time period usually had lacy patterns that contained scroll work, pierced profiles, and descriptions on their mountings that were both both intricate and delicate at the same time. Another thing that was prevalent during this era was the use of brilliant sapphires and 4-sided figures with diamond-like shapes that add an additional aspect to the rings from this time period. These would definitely make for some very beautiful antique engagement rings.

Following the Edwardian era was the Art Deco era. This time period lasted from 1920 through 1930. The antique engagement rings that were made during this time period took a lot of though about their surroundings into the creation of their beautiful designs. Most of these rings actually have a very streamlined algebraic look to them. Of course, this coexists with the various trends that were taking place during this era. Usually these rings will also have very vividly contrasting gems set within them. This is also considered to be the most prevalent area in which lozenges are used.