Vintage and Victorian Engagement Rings

Wondering what the difference is between "Vintage Engagement Rings" and "Victorian Engagement Rings?" Confused about what's considered an "Antique Engagement Ring?" 

You're not alone. It's difficult to find established and consistent information on what means what to whom. There are also a few other eras of jewelry styles you may want to consider:

Vintage Engagement Ring

People, and even jewelers, use the term vintage, but its meaning isn’t very clear. But there is a difference between vintage, victorian, estate and antique when it comes to engagement rings! A vintage engagement ring is a conversational term without any defined meaning, although some use the term vintage to mean a new ring styled to look like a ring from an older era. (The actual name for this is a reproduction.)

Estate Engagement Ring

An estate engagement ring is simply pre-owned and could have been bought as recently as last year.

Victorian Engagement Ring

The styles and dates below are generalizations only. Styles did not abruptly change on a specific date; there was a lot of overlapping. Even the dates are approximate.

Victorian Engagement Ring
The Victorian era is named for Queen Victoria of England, who ruled the British Empire during this time. Queen Victoria loved jewelry, and her exceptional taste shaped the jewelry that was made. This era is generally agreed to fall between the years of 1838 and 1901.

Edwardian Engagement Ring

Named for King Edward of Britain, Edwardian antique engagement ring styles kept much of the late Victorian era styles. This era fell between 1901 and 1920.

Art Deco Engagement Ring

The world threw off the old around 1920 and entered into an era of flappers, jazz, gangsters and speakeasies. The Art Deco jewelry period lasted from 1920 through 1935. 

Antique Engagement Ring

An antique engagement ring is over 50 years old, which now means anything made before the early 1960s. Most people don’t think of a 1960 era ring as an antique engagement ring!

If you have questions, feel free to book a consultation with Elizabeth Simpson to get insights on what you should look for, how to find the right style of ring for you!