Arabel Lebrusan of The Vintage Ring Company gives couples three top tips on how to choose a vintage engagement ring.
Each vintage ring has a beautiful history attached to it, boasting mystery and meaning within them. There are design quirks and flourishes that immediately identify a ring as belonging to a specific period of time, but it will bring you a unique pleasure to find the one that is right for you. Almost like you were meant to find it…
1. Style - what era shall you go for?
One of the aspects of vintage engagement rings that we find most endearing is that because they are from a different time, with different fashions, each style is unique compared with shopping for new rings today. Some of our favourites eras for engagement rings are: Victorian (1837-1901), Edwardian (1901-1914) and Art Deco (1920-1935). Victorian jewellery was romantic and grand, reflecting the love of the ruling Queen and her husband, Prince Albert. Nature motifs ran through many of the designs from this period, including snakes, birds and trees. The Edwardian era brought with it more delicate and feminine styles, often mixing platinum and gold with painstakingly hand-engraved milgrain techniques. In stark contrast, the Art Deco era offered geometric proportions, contrasting patterns, angular shapes and colour, creating a sleek aesthetic that was considered the epitome of sophistication. 
2. Budget
Set yourself a target, then go £500 to £1,000 above that to see what you can get for just a little bit more. If your budget is tight, look for a vintage style engagement ring made later in the century (or even this century), but incorporating those key style features that we all recognise as vintage. Make sure you check our selection of vintage engagement rings here.
3. Condition
Even though vintage engagement rings have been worn and loved by someone else, if you buy from a reputable shop they will be well looked after and come with some guarantees on the quality of gemstones and metal. See our own jewellery certificate for reference
In summary, there are endless charms to seek with vintage engagement rings. For every vintage ring resold today, there is a love story behind it from a totally different time and place. They are a precious link to the past, present and future, and hold an emotional value that is unrivalled. This feeling of fate and romance is at the heart of why they are loved by so many, including us.
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