estate diamond ring

Making an Estate Diamond Ring Your New Ring

Instead of getting a brand new engagement ring, you may be more interested in getting an estate diamond ring. The rules for estate diamond rings differ a bit from those for new engagement rings. You can find a variety of used estate diamond rings on eBay.

There are key differences between an estate ring, a vintage ring, and an antique ring:

• Estate ring: An estate ring refers to any piece of jewelry that's used or secondhand, no matter how old or new it is; this means it includes vintage, antique, and even new jewelry.
• Vintage ring: A vintage ring is one that's at least 20 to 30 years old.
• Antique ring: An antique ring is one that is at least 100 years old.

When you see a listing for a Victorian-era ring, you could be looking at a wide variety of design styles. Early Victorian jewelry took its cue from the love of Victoria and Prince Albert. The designs were whimsical and featured elements like birds and flowers. After Albert's death, Victorian jewelry took on a darker look and featured lots of blacks and enamel. After the period of mourning, cheerful, pleasant designs like crescents and mythical creatures were reflected in jewelry once again.

Art deco estate rings tend to be extremely bold and stylish. They reflect the ideas of the period, which ranged from the 1920s through the 1940s. Lots of platinum and gold are used in the ring settings, with white gold used as a more affordable platinum alternative. Art deco rings tend to have sharp lines, and feature a gorgeous mix of design styles. Bold, stand-out cuts like the brilliant cut diamond are popular in art deco jewelry.

A signed piece of jewelry can make all the difference in the wold when it comes to value of an estate ring. Estate rings signed by the jewelry maker can hold and retain their value better than unsigned pieces. A signed Val Cleef & Arpelsing can fetch a lot of money on the resale market, making it a great choice for investment purposes.