Style and Vibrant Colors – Art Deco Engagement Rings

If your future wife is a little unconventional, art deco engagement rings might be the answer to your prayers. Think vibrant colors and a heavy use of contrast and you will be able to picture these rings.

The best art deco rings were hand crafted and no expense was spared as the period was enjoying considerable wealth. Following the horrors of the First World War, the world wanted some fun and enjoyment. Think style and flamboyancy. The roaring twenties was a period to indulge your whims and fancies and this extended into the jewelry of this era, well at least until the great depression in the early 1930’s. Jewelers were experimenting with different shapes and cutting techniques so tapered baguettes, trapezoids and kite finishes were often used. Black onyx and enamel were combined with exquisite diamonds.

You can find yellow or white gold rings but the flavor of this era was platinum as it provided such a contrast to the beautiful stones used. The filigree work on some art deco engagement rings is just breathtaking. It is hard to imagine how anyone could get such intricate detailing into a small piece of jewelry. Some people say that you should avoid art deco rings when picking out your special ring as the diamonds are very small. This is certainly true of some rings but you can find styles designed with small stones that give the impression of one large single diamond.

Others have a huge center square cut diamond, often Asscher or emerald cut with a surrounding bevy of gemstones such as sapphires or emeralds. There is nothing small about these rings from the price tag to the impact they will have on your future wife.

If you look at art deco rings, you will see that flowers, leafs and birds figure heavily in the design either via the stones arrangement or in the delicate filigree work of this period. No two rings look the same which helps if you want a truly unique piece of jewelry.

They do take careful handling though as most of the women that these rings were originally made for wouldn’t have had to do housework or work all day. Due to the intricate engravings and craftsmanship, they can get rather dirty as oil and soap get clogged in the crevices. Have them cleaned by a specialist Jeweler as modern cleaning fluids may be too harsh.

Not everyone likes vintage engagement rings just as modern mass produced jewelry isn’t to everyone’s liking. At the end of the day it depends on what your wife to be wants to wear and how much money you have to spend to achieve her dream.

It would appear that Prince Charles loves art deco engagement rings and this benefited his partner Camilla Parker Jones. He gave her a beautiful diamond ring that once belonged to the Queen Mother and hails from the 1920’s. It has a large center emerald cut diamond flanked by six diamond baguettes. The total weight of diamonds is reported to be 8 carats. The ring was updated for this occasion with some additional diamonds being added to complement the original art deco diamond.