Antique Wedding Rings
&
Engagement Rings

Antique wedding rings are unique, stylish, and many antique rings are very affordable. Knowing that these rings were once worn by another couple in love, and that they were crafted by someone long ago, are some of the reasons that antique rings and antique engagement rings are particularly appealing.

That being said, it takes an informed shopper to find a quality, and authentic, antique ring for the right price.

To find the right antique wedding ring for you, take a look at the History of Wedding Rings for a crash course on how to identify rings from certain eras by their styles, metals, and gemstone materials, or check out more information from the specific time periods below.

Victorian Wedding Rings are created from various styles which reflect the life and times of Queen Victoria. Here are the different types of rings from this period and the two major changes in wedding ring history that took place during this time.

Art Nouveau Rings, characterized by their flowing lines and natural themes, are high in demand. Learn how to recognize an authentic ring from this time period and the history behind these beautiful ring designs as well.

Edwardian Rings are known for their light and airy look, and if you are looking for an antique filigree ring this is the era in which exquisite rings of this kind were created.

Art Deco Rings with their geometric designs symbolized a time in which people came to terms with a modern era and new social freedoms as well; Art Deco wedding rings and Art Deco antique engagement rings styles are unique and bold.

Retro Rings were created during the upheaval of World War II, and the metals, materials, and styles used to create rings from this era clearly reflect the chaos of those times.

Where to Find Antique Wedding Rings:

Antique rings and antique engagement rings can be found through estate sales, Internet retailers, specialized antique retailers, personal sellers, and even thrift (pawn) shops. While you may find antique rings through all of these sources, some of these sources are more reliable than others.

Three of my absolute favorite reputable resources for authentic antique wedding rings and antique engagement rings include:

Brilliant Earth: Recently Brilliant Earth has expanded their collection of real antique and vintage wedding rings and engagement rings including Edwardian, Retro and Art Nouveau rings and sometimes Victorian.

Turtle Love: Turtle Love maintains a beautiful selection of real vintage wedding rings and engagement rings - many with stunning gemstones and diamonds - from around the 1900s up to the 1960s (i.e. Art Nouveau to Retro Periods).

The Three Graces: The Three Graces is a highly respected resource for authentic antique and estate jewelry including wedding and engagement rings. From time to time, they even have rings from the Georgian and Victorian periods).

Estate sells and personal sellers are also good sources, but it may be difficult to find a ring authenticated with papers and which have a correct estimated value.

If you are not concerned about the value of a ring, and you are more interested in a unique ring, then thrift shops and estate sales are good places to look for antique rings. The ring you find may not necessarily be valuable, but these are places where you can find some really unusual antique rings.

Wherever you search for antique wedding rings, here are some shopping tips to keep in mind:

• The ring should always come with an estimated, or exact date, the ring was created.
• Any ring with gemstones should contain paperwork on the exact type of gemstones in the ring and their estimated value; a grading report on the gems is highly desired but not always available at the time of the purchase. Any ring with diamonds should come with an authentic diamond certificate from a reliable laboratory.
• An estimated appraisal, on paper, should come with the ring.
• Always try to buy an antique ring with at least a 30 day return policy, this will give you time to have the ring independently appraised so you can be sure the original appraisal is correct; many antique rings cannot be resized either, so if the ring does not fit you should be able to return it.
• If you are purchasing a ring through an Internet website, always thoroughly check the website’s reputation and return policy.
• If you purchase a ring through an independent person always make sure the seller has an established reputation, or use a 3rd party to witness the transaction; have a contract drawn up for a return policy if you are not happy with the ring. Make sure you have a verifiable address and phone number of the person as well.
• Antique wedding rings that come with documented paperwork and original receipts are highly desirable, though you can expect to pay more for the written history of the ring.
• When you are shopping for an authentic antique wedding ring, look out for terms such as ‘antique reproduction ring’ ‘antique style ring’ and ‘antique design ring.’ These rings are most likely recent reproductions using antique styles and designs, and they are not truly antique wedding rings.
• Genuine antique rings are not considered to be antiques unless they are 50 or more years old. Wedding rings less than 50 years old are named 'estate wedding rings'.

Pros of Antique Wedding Rings:

• These rings have truly unique styles and designs.
• Handcrafted rings from antique eras feature stunning workmanship that is impossible to reproduce by machine.
• Antique wedding rings are considered to be environmentally friendly as no new metals or materials are required for the ring.
• Some types of wedding rings from older eras are extremely affordable, and they can be a more affordable unique ring option than designing your own rings.

Cons of Antique Wedding Rings:

• It takes a savvy shopper to find an authentic antique wedding ring...research before buying is a must!
• Wedding rings from even over a hundred years ago are much smaller than today's rings, and some of these rings can be impossible to resize. It may be a challenge to find an antique wedding ring that is the right size. Some rings can be resized, but the fees may be high.
• It may be difficult to know for sure what type of metal alloy has been used to create the ring, especially if the ring is a gold or white gold silver alloy. For those who are allergic to nickel, it may be difficult to find a hypoallergenic white metal ring band in the years before platinum became available.

Additional Shopping Tips:

Keep in mind this list of Wedding Ring Metals and when they were in use; these little facts can give you a big heads up towards finding authentic antique wedding rings.

• Gold has been used for thousands of years to make wedding rings. However, most gold crafted rings that were made before 1854 were 18 Karat gold. Lower gold alloys such as 15, 12, and 9 Karat were available after that date; rose gold also became available and in popular demand after the 1854 date.
• While silver has been used for thousands of years to make rings as well, silver did not became more affordable until the mid-Victorian Era (1860 - 1885) and during this time silver wedding rings became more widely available.
• Platinum made its first appearance in rings in the late 1770's, but at this time it was used only for royalty. Platinum wedding rings did not really come into use until the Edwardian Period which began in the 1890's.
• Platinum was a popular wedding band material from the 1890's until the 1940's at the start of World War II. Once the war started, Platinum was needed for armory and at this time gold, and white gold alloyed with silver and palladium became available to replace the use of platinum in wedding rings.
• Titanium was not widely used to create wedding rings until the 1990's.
• Tungsten and Stainless Steel are two of the newest wedding ring materials, and they have only recently been in use in the last 5 years as a ring metal.

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