The Journal · Topic

Antique & Vintage Engagement Rings

Everything we tell clients before they buy an antique engagement ring: cuts, settings, eras, budgets, resizing and the questions a dealer should answer.

A hand resting on green velvet wearing an antique old cut diamond ring, with two more antique diamond rings, a diamond line necklace and an open ring box beside it.
October 2026

What a 1 Carat Diamond Really Looks Like: Size, Price Jumps and Smarter Choices

What a 1 carat diamond really looks like: about 6.4 to 6.5 mm for a well-cut round, why ovals and pears look...

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Antique diamond rings in a green velvet ring tray, including a cushion halo ring, a flower cluster ring and an old cut solitaire, with drop earrings, a loupe and a sketchbook.
October 2026

How to Stack Rings: Mixing Antique Bands, Metals and Stones

How to stack rings: the anchor-and-band formula, how many rings to wear and on which fingers, mixing gold colours and antique with...

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Loose old cut diamonds in cushion, round and oval shapes on green velvet beside a brass loupe, calipers and a notebook of diamond facet drawings.
October 2026

Can Diamonds Chip or Break? What 'Hardest Material' Really Means

Can diamonds chip or break? Why Mohs 10 hardness is not toughness, how octahedral cleavage works, where diamonds chip, why old cuts...

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Loose sapphire, ruby, emerald, citrine and amethyst gemstones on an antique tray with tweezers, a jeweler's loupe and cut diagrams.
October 2026

Padparadscha, Pink and Yellow Sapphires: The Colours Beyond Blue

Fancy sapphires explained: padparadscha, pink, yellow, orange, purple, green, white, colour-change and parti sapphires, where each comes from, how they are treated,...

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Loose old mine and old European cut diamonds on green velvet with brass calipers, a loupe and diamond cut diagrams.
October 2026

Diamond Shapes Guide: Oval, Cushion, Emerald, Pear and Marquise — and Their Antique Ancestors

Diamond shapes compared: oval, cushion, emerald, Asscher, pear and marquise, with face-up size, bow-tie, length-to-width ratios, durability, colour visibility and price per...

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Antique old-cut diamond engagement rings and pear drop earrings in a velvet tray, with a jeweler's loupe and ring sketches.
October 2026

How Much Should You Spend on an Engagement Ring? The Strange History of the Salary Rule

How much to spend on an engagement ring: the De Beers and N.W. Ayer history behind the two months' salary rule, why...

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Loose old mine and old European cut diamonds on green velvet with brass calipers, a loupe and diamond cut diagrams.
October 2026

Diamond Fluorescence: Good, Bad, or Overblown?

Diamond fluorescence explained: what the blue glow is, GIA grades from None to Very Strong, what GIA research found about appearance, rare...

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Antique old-cut diamond engagement rings and pear drop earrings in a velvet tray, with a jeweler's loupe and ring sketches.
October 2026

Salt and Pepper Diamonds: The Imperfect Stone Everyone Wants

Salt and pepper diamonds explained: what the black and white inclusions are, why the stones are popular, rose cuts and hexagons, durability...

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A 1.06 carat L colour old mine cut diamond bezel-set in an 18k yellow gold engagement ring.
October 2026

Diamond Color Scale D to Z: Why Warm Antique Diamonds Deserve a Second Look

Diamond color scale D to Z: the five GIA colour groups, how colour is graded against master stones, how setting metal and...

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