Living in the 21st century, we experience life at breakneck speed! One day we think something, email the thought and get an answer. In five hours, we can be across the continent or in Europe – not five weeks! Our cell phones keep us constantly available and in touch. Fashions whiz by in a blaze – in one day, out the next. YouTube makes celebrities of even the least talented among us.
And in the midst of rapidly changing fashions there is a trend that bucks the tide: the love of antique diamond rings, and for vintage jewelry in general! What is it about styles of the past which attract us? When contemplating a life change – engagement, marriage, anniversary – why do we look to the past for inspiration and style?
For couples about to embark on a new life passage, reminders of past happy times or celebrations – perhaps their grandparents’ or parents’ long marriages – generates a desire to recreate permanence and continuity. In their minds’ eye this might mean a house with a lawn and a picket fence or an antique diamond engagement ring.
Vintage Engagement Rings Antique Diamond Rings Model 9167What are some of the characteristics of vintage jewelry which keep us revisiting this style? For one thing, the exquisite details of antique jewelry speak of quality. Milgrain, once the chief signifier of artistic and handmade quality, can now be achieved by modern casting techniques. In addition, engraving on the shank of the ring, a detail which spoke of the adept jeweler, is also able to be achieved in the casting process. And finally, delicate filigree openwork which gives a light and airy feeling, can also be recreated by modern techniques.
This Da’Carli antique diamond engagement ring is an exemplar of the kind of jewelry which has a contemporary appeal across class and age lines. We see expert engraving, filigree openwork and abbreviated milgrain all combined in an attractive ring, appropriate at any age.