Pre-World War I Antique Wedding Rings (1714-1919)

Finding the ideal antique wedding ring that will fit in with your style and personality is not necessary a difficult task. Antique wedding rings come with many designs and styles, much more than modern wedding rings can offer.

Most of the time antique wedding rings are categorized according to the era they were made in. Most antique wedding rings on the market today date from the late 1800s through the 1950s. Antique wedding rings can be broadly categorized into pre-World War I designs and post- World War I rings. The pre-World War I rings are dominated by British culture and influence. After World War I, the explosion of American Art Deco designs began to overtake the British as the main stream design in rings. In between the two broad categories antique wedding rings are further classified into various eras.

The design of an antique wedding ring varies greatly from era to era. It is definitely not difficult to find one that will suit your taste. For examples, for woman who like classical and extravagant wedding rings, there is the Victorian ring with detailed, elaborated engravings and ultimate romance flourish. On the other hand, with its smooth flowing curves and lines, the Art Nouveau rings often capture the heart of those who prefer grace and elegance wedding rings. Though it is more common for couples to search for their ideal antique wedding rings according to the eras, there are also other variable factors in the selections.

Georgian period (1714-1830)

The Georgian era is defined as the period including the reigns of the four king Georges, George I, George II, George III and George IV. This period was marked by social reform and cultural vibrancy, resulting in diversified designs of Georgian rings. Early Georgian rings were mounted with shell, gemstones and pearls. Diamonds in this period were mostly of table- and rose-cut. Diamonds were usually encrusted instead of mounted. Nature designs with leaves, birds and insects were highly popular, as well as cultural motifs such as scrolls, palmettes and Greek Keys. Towards the end of the Georgian era old mine-cut diamonds were developed. Georgian wedding rings are fairly rare nowadays and hold great market values. They are highly collectable and have an unmistakable sense of sentiment and emotion.

Victorian Period (1837 - 1901)

For many people, Victorian wedding rings represent the finest touch of romance.

The Victorian period was the period of Queen Victoria’s reign. During this period the economy started to bloom and prosper due to profits gained from trades in overseas British Empire, as well as industrial evolution at home. This prosperity led to the development of a large, educated middle class that afford to spend on luxurious goods and jewellery. As the longest reign in British history, wedding rings made in the Victorian era varied greatly in styles and fashions. From simple, elegant to intricate and elaborated, the design of the rings was vastly influenced by the taste of Queen Victoria. In this period, nature motifs such as flowers, birds and hearts were popular. However the most popular of all motifs was the buckle motif, which symbolized wisdom, eternity and binding love, and was greatly adored by Queen Victoria. Buckle wedding rings also represent that a couple was as well matched as a belt and its buckle.

Victorian rings usually came in yellow or rose gold and were more commonly mounted with coloured precious stones instead of diamonds. Sapphires, rubies, opals and emerald were more prevalent than diamonds. From early 1800’s to mid 1800’s, single stone gypsy rings or three stone rings accentuated with tiny rose-cut or old mine-cute diamonds were the more favourable settings. By the end of the 1800’s five stone rings became more favoured. Rings with double hearts centrally mounted with pearls and bordered by a frame of diamonds and crowned with a bow were produced. Black and cobalt blue enamel were used for engraving on the bands. It was also during this period that the old European-cute diamonds were produced.

Art Nouveau Period (1890 - 1905)

‘Art Nouveau’, the French word for ‘new art’, is an international movement that swap over Europe that had great influence on the style of art, architecture and decorative arts. Jewellery in this period is characterized by sinuous and delicate curves, as well as nature-inspired motifs. While the Georgian period and Victorian period jewellery emphasized more on the fine material and precious gemstones, Art Nouveau jewellery placed more importance on the design and craftsmanship of the jewellery. The beauty and the artistic value of the jewellery pieces were much more important than the value of the materials. As a result, semi-precious stones such as pearls, moonstones, amethyst, demantoids and opal vastly replaced gemstones and diamonds to be featured in Art Nouveau wedding rings. Not only so, wedding rings in this period are often found to be made of natural material such as horn, ivory and moulded glass. Colourful enamelling was very popular while precious stones receded.

The jewellers in Paris and Brussels dominated the Art Nouveau movement, with French designer-jeweller-glassmaker René Lalique at its heart. The influence of Japanese art in this period encouraged more creativity and fostered new themes in design. One of the new design themes of Art Nouveau rings is the use of feminine form and soft, curvilinear lines. Nevertheless, nature motifs such as insects, flowers and snakes remained popular. Art Nouveau wedding rings are creative, elegant, artistic and very stylish. They are also rare in the market and thus are highly collectible.

Edwardian Period (1901 - 1919)

The Edwardian era refers to the period of the reign of King Edward VII. Fashion and style in this period was greatly influenced by the king himself and his queen, Alexandra. Alexandra’s love for diamonds resulted in the high popularity of diamonds in wedding rings during this period. Diamonds in this period were mostly of old mine-cut and old European-cut. Milgrain settings were introduced to make setting disappear as so to create an effect of the diamond “floating” in the air. Such setting is believed to maximise the diamonds beauty. Along with diamonds, sapphires and pearls were frequently featured.

Besides diamonds, Edwardian wedding rings are also characterized with decorative scrollwork, garlands, bows and tassels. Lace-like filigree introduced by Queen Alexandra was very popular. With the invention of oxyacetylene torch, jewellers were able to forge ring with platinum. At the end of this period, platinum replaced white gold and became the major metal due to its light colour, its hardness and ability to be ornamented into delicate patterns and setting. Edwardian wedding rings were usually made of diamond with platinum setting to present a “white-on-white” appeal.