3 Most Popular Vintage Engagement Rings

Vintage engagement rings are becoming incredibly popular today. For some women, vintage engagement rings make sense because they are unique and really symbolize their individuality. They can also be romantic, imagining where the ring has been in the past and feeling like it was part of a grand love story.

Vintage diamonds are completely different from more modern diamonds. Today you can find beautiful emerald, princess, and cushion cut diamonds that are quite brilliant. In comparison, vintage stones were cut with larger facets, smaller tables, larger culets and higher crowns.What does all of that mean? Here is the anatomy of a diamond that you can reference:Because vintage stones were cut deeper, they generally appear smaller in diameter than modern diamonds with the same carat weight. It is very rare to find vintage stones with colors D through H (or colorless and near colorless). This is because there were fewer diamond mines in operation back then, and many vintage stones that were colorless were re-cut into modern cut diamonds for higher profits in the later 70’s and 80’s. Therefore, the few colorless vintage stones that are out there have been collected and would be worth a lot of money. Of all the diamonds that you could find from the past centuries that are still preserved today, here are the three most popular vintage diamonds and engagement rings:

1. Old Mine Cuts

Old mine cut diamonds date back to the 1830’s. They were the earliest form of modern brilliant cut diamonds and were very popular up until the early 1900’s. Old mine cut stones were cut for candlelight so that they would sparkle even in dim lighting. They were faceted by hand in a roundish shape with a high crown, small table, and large culet.

2. Old European Cuts

European cut diamonds date back to the early 1900’s to the late 1920’s and are the closest to today’s “ideal” round brilliant cut diamonds. What really makes these diamonds distinct are the large facets that give them a very unique brilliance. These stones really have an unforgettable sparkle to them. They have a very small table, a heavy crown, a circular girdle, and a great overall depth.

3. Antique Cushion Cuts

It can be said that the antique cushion cut diamond was one of the most popular cuts of diamonds ever. It was popular for over 70 years from 1830 to the 1900’s. When looking at one of these diamonds, you can see that it looks almost like a pillowish shape. It has an open culet and a rectangular to square shape with rounded corners. The beautiful facets that are cut on the face of these diamonds allow the eye to travel into the diamond. Today’s “cushion cut” diamonds are cut differently than the antique version.

Have you considered buying a vintage engagement ring? Make sure to shop smart!