Something Old: 53 Vintage Engagement Rings To Shop Now (2024)

FAQs

Do vintage engagement rings keep their value? ›

Antique engagement rings hold their value very well if kept in good condition. Rarity is an important factor in jewelry pricing since inevitably some pieces will be damaged or lost over the years.

Its important to understand your options when selling an engagement ring. The three key options are selling to a jeweller, a private sale or sale by auction.

An experienced jeweler is the best way to assess the value of your piece. During this process, known as an appraisal, the jeweler will evaluate several factors such as the materials used to craft the jewelry, the age of the piece, quality, and other existing conditions.

"Vintage" refers to anything at least 20 years old, while "antique" refers to anything at least 100 years old. When it comes to engagement rings, "vintage" usually signifies the ring's style rather than its age.

A quick sell to a jewelry store or diamond buyer should yield you close to 50% of the current diamond retail value and the metal weight of the setting/mounting (often times $50-$150) with a little extra for the smaller diamonds (usually less than $100 if the diamonds are small).

First, check for hallmarks and a maker's mark on the inside of your band. These markings may provide information about the jeweller who originally created the piece, its country of origin, and sometimes even the date of manufacture.

Since Zales - The Diamond Store - has been part of our customers' most important moments since 1924, it seems only natural to offer this service. Now you can sell your used, unwanted gold and platinum jewelry through a secure program from a company you know and have trusted for years.

You could also have the original ring's metal melted down or use its gems as side stones in your new ring. Lastly, you could even transform your old ring into a new piece of jewelry, like a classic diamond pendant necklace that you could wear every day.

You can use old diamonds in a new ring, upgrade your engagement ring, redesign wedding rings, convert a ring to a necklace, a necklace into a ring, and more.

Diamond prices increases about 14% each year since 1960! Past performance does not guarantee the performance of the future.

How old is a vintage ring? ›

In jewellery trade terms, 'vintage' describes a piece that was made between 50 and 100 years ago. So at the time of writing, all jewellery produced between 1920 and 1970 is technically 'vintage'.

Vintage seems to always be in fashion, but clothing isn't the only thing that's highly sought after. Pieces of jewelry that are at least 50 to 100 years old and in good condition are also highly valuable to the right collector. Plus, some of these vintage pieces work great as an accessory.

Alongside diamonds, 1960s engagement rings often featured colourful gemstones like rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. These stones were often cut in unique shapes like oval, marquise, and pear.

Because of changes in how diamonds have been valued, older stones may have warmer color tones than modern gems. Similarly, the cut of an older stone will typically be less precise, and cuts like the mine, rose, old European, and table cut are much more common in vintage rings.

In most cases, the precise qualification is that the diamond be around since the 1930's. The value of a diamond is said to increase with age, so the older the diamond, the more expensive the diamond is said to be.

Vintage engagement rings are often unique because they have intricate engravings, millegrains, enamel, and calibre set stones. These details aren't as common in modern jewellery. Because each ring is handmade, there are no exact copies. Vintage rings are a great choice for someone looking for something unique.

Price is determined by demand, and when it comes to antique rings, there are certain time periods that are very popular in today's market. We find that rings from the two jewelry periods Art Deco and Edwardian hold the highest value.

Antique cuts actually tend to be less expensive than modern cut earth-mined diamonds if and when you can find them. Part of this reason is because they don't require new mining and all of the associated costs that come with that.