How to Find Vintage Diamond Engagement Rings

If your fiance collects vintage jewelry, you need to learn how to find vintage diamond engagement rings. If she loves old rings, she's not going to appreciate being proposed to with a contemporary engagement ring. And before you go stumbling into shops without a clue as to value or what's considered a desirable style there are a few things that you should know about these pieces.

Not long after the second world war in Europe and Japan, the De Beers diamond cartel, ran a marketing campaign with the intent to prove that a diamond was eternal. It's a known fact that a diamond is usually the stone of choice for engagement rings because of its special hardness and resiliency. These special qualities make it an everlasting symbol of the enduring and everlasting bond of marriage. Placing the diamond in a beautiful setting in an engagement ring, fulfills the promise to be married and to join together as one. If one is trying to find that very special ring that has the unique style and qualities that were fashionable many years ago, then the obvious choice is to educate yourself on how to find vintage diamond engagement rings that are timeless in design.



Finding a vintage diamond engagement ring is not particularly difficult. There are many online sites will allow you to peruse a fair selection of these rings and select the one that best suits both your engagement and, perhaps a little more practically, your wallet. We suggest going to your favorite search engine and typing in "vintage rings". You will find many sites that are trustworthy and reputable, that will sell you beautiful rings. Be aware that you will also find many sites that advertise "vintage style" or "antique style" which are nothing more than copies of a design.



If you're the type that finds it more enjoyable seeing the ring in person, you'll find it very pleasing to know that it's not difficult to find stores that carry a nice selection of vintage diamond engagement rings. A quick look to the Yellow Pages for vintage jewelry places should give you a list of places to visit.



Vintage items are always in vogue and vintage diamond engagement rings are no exception to this rule. The chances are that you will often find a more unique style of engagement ring than is normally found in the local jeweler at the mall. You will generally find that the vintage ring has a very strict attention to detail and has superior workmanship not normally found in modern day jewelry.



Craftmanship and pride in tradition were held in high regard in the post war period. As a result, you will find that most jewelry items found in this period of time sufficiently represents this. In addition, one must also consider the timeless value of this jewelry. If it could withstand, say 50 years, for example, of wear and tear, think about the quality of the product. Additionally, if you present her with a vintage diamond ring that has some history attached to it, she will cherish it even more. Buying one of these rings will show your future fiancée that you are dedicated and committed to this marriage, and perhaps more importantly though, these rings will symbolize the love you have for them as well as her.

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Need help finding vintage rings? We offer free information at our site to assist you so that you can be certain to get the perfect vintage ring that is sure to please her.

BLUE DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS - When Sapphires Just Won't Make the Grade

Sapphire and diamond engagement rings were all the rage for several decades I suppose every bride wanted an antique sapphire and diamond engagement ring like the one Prince Charles gave Diana. However, I see the modern trends in engagement rings veering strongly towards blue diamonds over other less expensive (actually cheap in comparison) gems.

Blue diamond cocktail rings as well as beautifully etched and carved blue diamond engagement rings that seem almost delicate are rare, probably because they are in such popular demand at the moment! For the bride who's not into antiques or who has a groom that doesn't have an old blue diamond ring hanging out with the other family heirlooms in the lockbox, there are options for the modern bride to peruse at her leisure or hubby to be can purchase a fine blue diamond ring guaranteed to make her flip when she opens the black velvet jewelry case.

Nothing unique or unusual about a certain color gemstone being popular except that the brides are buying matching mens blue diamond wedding rings to match their rings. Now that's rather strange, but nice. I'm not sure how I feel about a man wearing a blue diamond. It's something that really catches the eye, but somehow men's rings in the color of flowers, etc. is something that we'll have to get used to.

Admire your perfect antique or contemporary blue diamond engagement and wedding rings while lying on the beach in Jamaica or while floating down the Nile on a barge.

DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS – PLATINUM or WHITE GOLD HERE’S THE FAQs

14k White Gold Round Diamond Engagement Ring Setting Ring Size 8 Head Size (Carats) 1.25ct

Let me fill you in on all the selling tactics that jewelers might use to sell you platinum jewelry over gold or silver. If you’re shopping for diamond engagement ring platinum is one of the choices that will come sliding across the shiny jeweler’s display on a field of velvet first thing. Chances are that your jeweler will have a spiel about the merits of a platinum engagement ring over the white gold ring that he removes from his case next which is almost visually identical to the customer with no formal jeweler’s training. If you ask, the shop may have a few rings in sterling silver and the differences in price really gets wide and even more confusing. So, what’s behind the expensive platinum price? I will try to justify the reasoning behind the value of diamond engagement rings in platinum settings.

PURITY
18k gold is 75% pure and platinum is approximately 90-95% pure, which means you get more metal for your moolah.

STABILITY
Platinum’s color is more stable. It will not change color over time. Diamond and platinum jewelry should look exactly the same centuries from the day that you have it sized for your bride’s dainty finger.

HARMLESS
Hypoallergenic is a big buzzword in toiletries and now it’s being used as a selling point in diamond engagement rings! Platinum jewelry qualifies as being hypoallergenic and won’t cause a nasty rash the way that dirty old 14k or 18k gold might. When you buy a white gold ring, you may get some nickel thrown in for good measure and nickel is irritating to some people’s skin.

SCARCE
To come up with one ounce of this rare and pure metal, you’ve got to process 10 tons of ore which makes platinum rarer than gold.

DURABLE
Take a look at Granny’s treasured wedding ring, see how the band is worn down to a thread on the back and sides? Are the prongs or bezel that support the diamond diminished in spots? In my humble opinion this is where a platinum engagement ring crosses the finish line way out in front of gold; it lasts. I have lost several flawless diamonds that fell out of worn prongs. Once I got wise to the wearing and wasting ways of gold I trekked to the jewelry store each year for a clean bill of health for my diamond rings. It seemed that at least one of my gold prongs was in need of repair every year, but my diamond engagement ring in platinum needed no such maintenance.

The bottom line is whether you can afford the additional price for a diamond engagement ring in platinum and if you can, by all means get platinum but (remember you heard it here) platinum jewelry is NOT perfect, completely maintenance free or indestructible.

No matter how much your diamond engagement ring set in platinum cost it has some of the same drawbacks as gold or sterling jewelry.

Lose some of its rich silky new looking finish. In the Japanese culture, they treasure each and every scratch on their platinum jewelry. Hey, they like their old wrinkled ancestors over there, too. Platinum will show some wear, just less than gold and you can have platinum polished back to the original look at any time. If you still want platinum but are wary of those tiny microscopic scratches, you might want to consider a matte, carved or satin finish rather than a shiny high gloss.

WHERE TO SHOP FOR STUNNING, UNIQUE or EVEN DOWNRIGHT ODDBALL or WIERD ENGAGEMENT RINGS DIAMONDS ARE NOT THE ONLY OPTION!

Lots of modern couples prefer to bypass the traditional when it comes to choosing their engagement rings; they prefer something new and unique! These kids want to do their own thing when it comes to a ring whose purpose is to be the symbol of their undying love and trust for each other. Why should they have a ring that’s identical to thousands if not millions of boring engagement rings?
They want a unique engagement ring for their bling, if you will. The quest is on for a cool, cutting edge engagement ring that is theirs and theirs alone.

Here are some ideas for designing, creating or just going out shopping for a unique diamond engagement ring.

A ring that’s about heritage or culture might be something worth checking out if you’re into ancestry, genealogy and all that jazz. If your ancestors weren’t thoughtful about leaving your unique family engagement ring to you, that’s perfectly fine. There are any numbers of professional jewelry designers that specialize in cultural jewelry or buy a spectacular antique diamond ring on auction that looks just like your envied family heirloom. That will drive the cousin who has the real miner cut diamond out of her mind, won’t it? Tell everybody at the family reunion that SHE’S the one wearing a replica of the vintage engagement ring! Nobody will believe how cheap the glamorous ring actually was.

Diamonds are so mainstream, if you have a favorite gemstone why not work that into your ring? This is done in Jolly Old England all the time! Remember Princess Diana’s unique sapphire and diamond engagement ring? When we saw her ring on television, we were shocked! A real princess and she didn’t get a 10 carat diamond engagement ring and a tiara to match! I still wonder if Prince Charles was holding out on the royal diamonds, don’t you? But didn’t those sapphires make for a stunning and unique display? Even though it turned out badly for that royal couple, it bumped sapphires way up on the scale of popularity for engagement rings. Lady Di’s unique engagement ring was deep midnight blue, almost black in some pictures, but since the 80s I’ve seen rainbow sapphires, pink and even purple sapphires used in formal 18k gold settings.


Skipping right along and jumping cultural boundaries from the English to the Irish, in Ireland, emeralds and peridots are used in the occasional unique engagement ring design. The shamrock green colors are indicative not only of a couple’s love for each other, but for the country of Ireland and all its romance and mystery. The Celtic and Claddagh designs are very common there, but in USA they would still be rare enough to fit right into our definition of a unique engagement ring. You can certainly incorporate your own patterns of diamonds and gemstones into a Celtic knot or even a Renaissance puzzle ring if you want!

Lastly there are the unique engagement rings that mirror a couples social beliefs such as Save the Whales or dolphins, PETA enthusiasts, Eco, and even some dog or cat motifs.

RENAISSANCE PUZZLE RINGS

SEE MORE HERE!

Renaissance puzzle rings are the perfect gift to give a gift to give to a friend if you want to drive them absolutely buggy! It's loads of fun to watch the process of solving puzzle rings. Right before the hapless victim heads for the two room to get a hammer you can look like a genius by displaying the puzzle ring solution like it's the easiest thing in the world.

Once you memorize the puzzle ring directions the assembly is a piece of cake. So if you want to amaze your friends buy a cheap gold puzzle ring and practice a solution first to the 4 band Renaissance puzzle ring then the solution to the 8 band Renaissance puzzle ring for the grand finale.

The great thing about puzzle rings is that they're not just about solving the puzzle, they are relatively cheap to buy and there are so many styles that you can collect.

• Celtic puzzle ring
• Turkish puzzle rings
• Rose gold puzzle rings
• Dubai puzzle rings

HOW to CLEAN DIAMOND JEWELRY

I'm often asked to advise on the best way to clean diamond jewelry. No matter how fine the cut color and clarity of your diamond, it needs a little assistance to look its best. There are lots of opinions on how to clean diamonds and what are the best solutions to clean a diamond with. The mildest and possibly the best way to clean diamonds are to use a solution of warm water and liquid dish washing detergent.

Dishwashing detergent is one of the best solutions to clean a diamond with. The same solution that you used to clean your fine china and crystal will remove layers of oils mixed with plain ordinary household dirt that insinuate themselves into the openings around the setting of the diamond. It will also clean the surface or face of the diamond without scratching. The demonstrations we have seen of a diamond cutting glass stick with us but let me take this opportunity to inform you that while a diamond is a very hard substance flat, shiny surface is vulnerable to microscopic scratches that will eventually interfere with that fabulous sparkle.

The best way to clean diamond jewelry without risk of scratching is to soak the diamonds in your cleaning solution for a lengthy period of time. Sometimes soaking in the cleaning solution and a good rinse is how to clean diamonds that are not too dirty. If after soaking you can still see some dirt, get a soft SOFT brush (think soft bristles like a baby's hairbrush) and lightly work the brush into the crevices. If there are some dirty spots that you just don't know how to clean try a dentist's trick and see if a Water Pik will do the trick. Some people have ruined a perfectly lovely piece of diamond and gold jewelry or diamond and platinum jewelry by gouging at them with toothpicks or even metal wires trying to dislodge the dirt. Let me tell you, that's NOT to how to clean diamond jewelry! Once you feel the diamond rings, earrings or other diamond jewelry are clean, dry them carefully with a soft cloth.

Some people think that soaking in ammonia and water or in alcohol is how to clean diamonds, and I'm willing to say that this is a matter of opinion. I can't say that these are the best solutions to clean a diamond because if the diamond happens to have been treated with a special coating or fracture filled these solutions might damage or cloud the diamonds.

HOW TO SELL a USED DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING for the BEST POSSIBLE PRICE

EBay is my knee-jerk reaction when someone asks me how to sell a lightly used diamond engagement ring. Competition among eBay bidders might drive the price up for a rare, unique or unusual ring but many eBay sellers are complaining that the fees for selling anything on eBay are taking too much of a chunk out of their profits.
If you want to move a ring quickly, this is excellent advice and the competition of bidders occasionally will bring higher prices. But if you are in no hurry to sell your there are some other options that might get you a few more dollars.

• Get a professional appraisal from a jeweler that you trust. If possible get one from a jeweler that presents the appraisal in a very professional manner and not just a hand written estimate on the shops letterhead. Presentation is everything the public is very aware that letterhead can be generated and printed on your printer and and everybody can write for gosh sakes! Your prospective customers will be much more likely to write a nice check for a piece is accompanied by a professional estimate in a nice protective cover.
  
• Canvass your lovestruck buddies to see if any of them will be in the market for a special diamond ring for their fiancé anytime in the near future. This is the best case scenario as you do a friend a favor by helping them to become engaged at a cheap price it's highly likely that you will get more for your ring by selling to an individual.
  
• Post an advertisement in the local paper. Put an ad in one of the local magazines that offer free advertising. Using free advertising and selling to a local will save you lots of money as there are no fees involved. The ability for a perspective buyer to view the diamond ring in person and to authenticate the appraisal won't hurt either!

If you want to know how to sell antique diamond jewelry, you probably will have to consult an expert in the field of collectible jewels to get the true value of your merchandise. However, I would not leave my precious antique diamond ring to be sold on consignment nor would I accept the price that the antique jewelry shop owner offered. The price offered in such circumstances would be well below retail and what you could get by selling the piece yourself. Shop owners leave a large margin for profit and if you have the time why not pocket the profit yourself?

I hope that gives you a few ideas on how to sell antique precious jewelry or a modern diamond ring that you thought you would wear forever but things didn't work out.

DIAMOND RING GUARDS

Dress up your solitaire with some modern diamond ring guards or wraps. They're not just for safety and this is the best way to get the most mileage out of the engagement ring that bought for a cheap price back when the money was needed for a down payment on a house loan rather than bling! You can double the flash of a modest round or marquise solitaire diamond ring with diamond wraps or ring guards.





14k white gold diamond baguette guard ring


Diamond ring guards are actually known by several different names

• Solitaire enhancers
• Diamond ring wraps
• Diamond ring guards

I'm not really certain why they were ever called diamond ring guards to begin with as they are used more for decoration and enhancement than for protection. There are too many styles of diamond wraps to cover in one article, but if you have a diamond engagement ring with a standard 2mm band you can bet that there are solitaire ring enhancers available to dress it up.

A rule of thumb or basic guide for shopping for appropriate Diamond ring guards for diamond is not to let the solitaire ring enhancer overpower the solitaire. The idea is to enhance not cover up or disguise the diamond in your original engagement ring.
Some diamond ring guards aren't set with diamonds at all. Some are merely elaborate gold filigree that has been carved or shaped to highlight the diamond rather than surround it with smaller ones.

For instance if you have a 1 carat solitaire center stone the best diamond ring guards for your ring might have 1/4 to 1/2 carat TW Side Diamonds. If your engagement ring diamond is high quality color cut and clarity with lots of flash try not to surround it with a diamond wrap set with low-quality diamonds. Again the idea is to enhance and muddy dull diamonds in the wrap just won't do the trick.

My review of the Grossbardt Picasso Ring

The Grossbardt Picasso Ring is wonderfully crafted, the inlay is with an attention to detail, evenly and smoothly finished. The surface of the Grossbardt Picasso Ring is just whimsical for lack of a better word.

The enamel work is exquisite. I understand that there are pins and other pieces by this designer. Caterpillars, pendants, bangle bracelets and various butterflies that were also fabulous will be collectibles of the future. The bangle bracelets are especially nice as they will fit a lady with a smaller wrist size.

With the history and the jewelry business this designer is a designer of the first-order and I feel good about recommending Grossbardt Picasso Ring, it's truly one of a kind!


And the design is an excellent tool for a conversationalist to get some dialogue started. Often the sign of a well made ring is a finish work on the inside of the band and the inside of this band is smooth just another indication of good craftsmanship. This is a very popular collection and this Grossbardt Picasso Ring has left the public wanting to see more of the Museum Collection by Eric Grossbardt in Sterling and 18K Picasso Ring and the great thing is that you get these lovely pieces for such a cheap price.

ANTIQUE BLOODSTONE 18k GOLD RING -What you might need to know about a bloodstone gemstone

When shopping for an antique bloodstone gold rings try to have the opportunity to inspect the bloodstone jewelry in bright light so that any microscopic scratches will be visible. It's best to inspect your bloodstone gemstone in person some flaws but not show a in a picture or photograph.

One of the most desirable antique bloodstone gold rings that I've seen recently was a carved Victorian Bloodstone wax seal. This particular antique bloodstone gold ring was in an inexpensive 10k gold but I have seen beautiful gemstones and a bezel setting of the 18k gold.





With a name like bloodstone you'd expect this gemstone to be a competitor and color for a Pidgin's Blood Ruby, when actually a bloodstone or heliotrope is a dark green opaque gemstones with blood red spatters. Is anyone else wondering why so many gemstone names have the word "blood" in them?

The story associated with bloodstone's is that there was a gemstone of green jasper at his feet that McCain's theme with the blood of Christ. Other names for bloodstone's are

• Martyr's gem
• Heliotrope (turning or rotating of the sun)

Indians believed that bloodstone's had medicinal properties used ground blood stones in the making of medicine. This is still practiced in India today where most bloodstones originate.

A large part of the population believes in the magical mystical powers of the various crystals and gemstones. Bloodstone's claim to fame in the mystical arena is:

• To provide relief for various blood disorders
• Encourage logical, positive thinking processes

Just because bloodstone is not expensive doesn't mean that there is an abundance of bloodstone. It's rather cheap as far as precious stones are concerned, but it's very popular in large pieces of jewelry such as men's signet rings and it's my opinion that modern bloodstones don't compare to vintage or antique gemstones and their unique and creative heavy gold settings.