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You know the saying: “What goes around, comes around”.
Usually it applies to the fashion world, but it seems to be equally relevant to the jewelry industry. 1940’s vintage engagement rings are making a strong comeback in 2015, and we are loving every second of it at Jonathan’s Fine Jewelers! One of our many specialties is buying and selling estate jewelry, which gives us a TON of access to great pieces from the “Retro” engagement ring era. If your significant other has an affinity for the old school charm of 1940’s vintage engagement rings; Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
The Era
The 1940’s were an interesting time in our country’s history. World War II was raging overseas in the early half of the decade, which meant rationing and frugality were at an all time high for American culture. For the jewelry industry, this meant that common engagement ring metals like platinum and gold were increasingly hard to come by. Jewelers had to become creative with their designs as well as the composition of their ring alloys, which lead to a widespread use of palladium and white gold in new engagement rings. Rose gold (which has also made a resurgence) was also extremely popular for 1940’s vintage engagement rings as well.
Don’t let that scare you – we have all the platinum you could ever want at Jonathan’s Fine Jewelers.
In the art and architecture world, the American Art Deco style was still in full effect and would continue through the end of the War into the late 40’s . The American Art Deco movement made use of geometry, color, and striking designs. The popularity of Art Deco directly translated directly to the engagement ring designs of the time period, as well as the popularity of costume jewelry. Diamonds center stones were still the norm, but alternative stones like Rubies and Sapphires were incredibly popular as well. Bold and splashy were IN and one thing about rings from this time period are for sure:
1940’s Vintage Engagement Rings make a statement.
While we do have a large inventory of retro engagement rings available, we are also asked to create custom engagement rings with a retro flair. Here are a few characteristics found in Retro rings that you can incorporate into your own unique designs:
Alternative Stones:
Engagement rings in the 1940’s incorporated the bright and beautiful colors of rubies and sapphires, and were perfectly acceptable as a diamond replacement. It was very common to see a ruby/sapphire center stone with several smaller diamonds encircling the stone or sprawling out into a bold asymmetrical design around the center gem.
Another reason that rubies and sapphires were so popular? The patriotic colors. There was a wave of patriotism after World War II ended, and what could be more symbolic than a red, white and blue engagement ring with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds?
Channel Set Settings:
While still a very popular design today, channel set stones were extremely common in 1940’s vintage engagement rings. While it often seems that the goal of many of today’s engagement ring is to buy the biggest diamond possible (which we fully support), retro rings of the 1940’s generally made use of more modest center stones and bold, beautiful settings. Here is a great example of a channel set diamond engagement ring from the 1940’s:
Filigree:
Right in line with the Art Deco movement, filigree was an extremely popular element in the retro era of ring design. Filigree makes use of twisted gold or silver to create an intricate lace-like design. In the 1940’s, filigree was used in the setting of the ring and added an incredible level of nuance and sophistication. Again, many of the time period’s rings had an extremely strong emphasis on the setting of the ring rather than the center stone. Here is another wonderful retro example:
At Jonathan’s Fine Jewelers we have ability to take any vintage inspiration and create one of a kind, completely custom pieces for your significant other. If you are in the market for a true 1940’s vintage engagement ring you HAVE to take a look at our incredible inventory. Searching for something specific? We can find it. Schedule an appointment or reach out to us on Facebook today to meet with one of our engagement ring experts on staff.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
