When you wish to buy a special ring for yourself or for a gift, consider investing in an antique ring. With the number of jewelry stores and online sites where you can now purchase used jewelry, it is possible with some careful research to find a superb antique ring at a lower price than you would expect to pay for a new one.
A ring actually becomes “antique” when it is more than 100 years old. Before that milestone is reached it should really be called a vintage ring, although some sellers do seem to think than anything over 10 years old is antique. The ability to accurately date fine antique pieces is dependent on where it was made as in some countries the date is an integral part of the hallmark, whereas in others the only way to tell the age is by having an expert judge it by the design and materials used.
There are many advantages to buying antique jewelry, one of which is that if you find an antique piece that is still in excellent condition today then you can be sure that it was well-made or it would not have survived until now. Another plus point is that antique rings were often made with designs and sentiments that are not normally found today so if this kind of thing appeals to you then an antique example is your only option. For instance during the 19th and early 20th century, rings were often made to express a sentiment, such as REGARD rings. These were made with gemstones the first letter of which spelled out the word conveyed by the ring – so in this case Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby and Diamond.
An antique ring might also contain gemstones with an old-fashioned cut or setting not so often seen today. An example of this would be cushion cut diamonds. Also having diamonds or other gemstones in a “gypsy” setting, this involves the stones being set so that they do not stand proud of the surrounding gold. This was often combined with a star shaped setting to give the illusion that the diamonds were larger than they actually were.
Nowadays you can often find very fine antique jewelry being sold at auctions or estate sales. Surprisingly there is also a large amount available on eBay, although you do have to exercise some caution here as truly antique pieces were sometimes not hallmarked so it is important to check that you are buying from a reputable seller and that you know exactly what you are getting. Some sellers include an independent valuation with jewelry they are selling online, which may mean that you will pay a little more to cover the cost of the valuation, but this will be worthwhile to ensure that the piece is genuine.
Antique rings were cleverly made to make the most of smaller gemstones and often unusual combinations of stones. As today’s technology was not available to mine, cut and polish gems, larger, high-quality stones were only accessible by the very wealthy. This fact adds a charm to antique pieces made by painstakingly setting large quantities of smaller stones and tiny seed pearls to make a truly unique item that could not be confused with a modern mass-produced piece of jewelry.
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