Post-World War 1 Antique Wedding Rings

This movement is the fusion of many styles and movements of the 20th century. Art Deco wedding rings are simpler yet elegant, functional and modern.

In contrast with Art Nouveau wedding rings with flowing and natural curves, wedding rings from Art Deco period are distinctive in their bold abstract and geometric designs with strong angles and straight lines.

Flowing, floral, leafy motifs there were popular previously were replaced by clean, hard, straight edges, and square patterns.

The use of stepped forms and sweeping curves gave Art Deco wedding rings an architectural and modern look.  It is not uncommon to see Egyptian, Asian and Indian motifs on Art Deco rings. Early Art Deco rings were accented with colourful contrasting gemstones, or rectangle-cut gems, replacing the rounder rose-cut diamond prevalently found of pale Edwardian designs.

Late Art Deco rings were mostly the combination of platinum-diamond with geometric engravings and a glittering streamlined look. Diamonds of Art Deco rings usually were old mine cut or Asscher-cut.

Retro Jewellery Period (1935 - 1950)

The Retro Jewellery period is the period of war. This is a period of unrest and retro wedding rings are hugely different from the previous periods in term of design and style.

The design of retro wedding rings are usually bolder, clunky and more fanciful, with lesser feminine motifs and soft curves. For people who love retro wedding rings, these rings are fun, exciting and glamorous.

Retro wedding rings are always unusually large, with rectangular-cut gemstones such as aquamarines and citrines clustered massively. It is also during this time when famous designer Tiffany¡¯s began to rise.  Designer wedding rings from this period were highly sought after.

In term of materials, gold was once again more widely used than platinum due to its cheaper price and because platinum was being used for war purpose. Different colours of gold, from yellow gold to rose gold, became popular. Synthetic and semi-precious stones were also widely used in response to World War II¡¯s luxury taxes.

Other Considerations

Besides choosing antique wedding rings according to the period they were made in, you can also consider selecting your rings by the stone or band.

Diamond or Coloured stones

Throughout the history various gemstones other than diamond were used in rings. Gemstones can be categorized into precious stones and semi-precious stones. Diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, pearl and opal are categorized as precious stones because they are rarer in nature and thus have a higher value.

Semi-precious stones are more common and have a lower value. Examples of semi-precious stones are zircon, citrine, quartz and aquamarine.

Depends on their chemical composition, gemstones can be richly coloured or light coloured. Usually each gemstone has its special meaning and significance. For example, diamonds symbolize eternity, rubies symbolize passion, and emeralds represent faith while sapphires represent intelligences.

Bands

The bands of antique wedding rings have a greater variety than modern wedding rings, style from simple elegant to extravagant glamorous.

Selecting an antique wedding ring is more fun as most antique bands were not made as part of a set.

Therefore, besides having more varieties you can also try your mix and match the stone and band. Antique bands can be elaborately engraved and look great even on their own. Some antique bands are encrusted with coloured stones or diamonds.