Reflecting the beauty of fashion eras gone by, vintage engagement rings and vintage styles are coming back into fashion more than ever before. Delicate florals and intricate milgrain detail, accent stones around the main diamond are used to add extra sparkle to the whole design.

Modern designs are usually quite crisp and simple but vintage styles I feel paint a pretty picture on the finger.

When you’ve been trying to search for clues as to what your girlfriend wants in an engagement ring and she says she ‘quite likes’ the vintage styles, that may not mean much to you, which is okay! And thank goodness for Google, because at your fingertips you can have every vintage style you could ask for within 10 seconds.

To get this vintage engagement ring your girlfriend is craving, you have the option of purchasing a true antique (second hand) ring, either from an antique dealer or another specialist; you may have inherited one from your grandmother or you can design her one from scratch.

If you choose to buy one from an antique specialist, my recommendation would be to take it to a jeweller/goldsmith to look over it for you. Because this ring is probably 50+ years old, it will have been worn and loved and jewellery isn’t invincible, it needs some TLC every now and then to check for worn claws (you don’t want the diamonds to fall out) and maybe if it needs a new shank (which means building up the metal on the back of the ring to prevent it from wearing so thin it snaps.)

The same would go if you have inherited a piece of jewellery from a family member, you could take it to a jeweller to either give it the maintenance it requires and a clean-up, to give it its sparkle back! Alternatively, you could have it redesigned. Vintage jewellery can be beautiful but as with anything, this doesn’t go for all pieces. The piece in question may not be to yours or your girlfriend’s taste so you might want to change a certain element of the design, which is entirely possible while keeping any sentiment involved in the original ring. Read more about jewellery redesign here.

If you decide these options aren’t for you, I’d highly recommend have a vintage engagement ring designed bespoke for you. This way you can work with a designer to discuss all the elements of jewellery you’ve seen (by trawling through google or her Pinterest board!) and wish to incorporate into the perfect ring.

You can choose the exact diamond or gemstone and design a ring within your budget and ensure you’re getting a brand new piece of jewellery with a lifetime of wear ahead of it, not needing to worry about the settings being secure in the very near future.

If you think that designing a bespoke vintage engagement ring is for you or you’d like to learn more about the process, please contact me through the link below and we can arrange an initial consultation.