One of the most popular ring styles that many people are seeking for their engagement rings is the antique designs. These rings will have a unique charm and elegance which makes them more desirable among people who like to have a distinct look on their special day. Antique rings are a hundred or more years old, and they exhibit wonderful craftsmanship from the past.
However, most of the antique jewelry you see today are not really hundred years old, instead, they are replicas of the ancient designs that are created by modern jewelers. Hence, if you are looking for popular diamond rings with antique designs, it is important to determine the piece a jeweler is showing you is really antique or simply a replica.
The following are some instructions that will help you to find out if your antique engagement ring is real or not.
Craftsmanship
The replicas or production rings are usually made through a casting process where a mold is used to create the rings. These molds will be designed based on the antique designs and they will provide a modern copy of the past designs that are at least a hundred years old.
Once the rings are created using the molds, then the jeweler will clean them by removing the excess metal and polishing the surfaces. This is a time-consuming process and sometimes leaves clues along the way when it is done in a haste. These casted rings may have pores or tiny bubbles that are scattered across the ring, which makes it easy to distinguish them from original ones. They will also lack the precision and accuracy that are expected in a real antique ring.
Metal
When you shop for antique rings, it is important to note that rings from the Early Edwardian or Victorian era cannot be found in metals like white gold or platinum, as they were not available during those days.
Facets
Another key to differentiating between real antique rings and their replicas are the arrangement of facets on the gemstones found on those rings. Antique cutting styles like Old Mine Cut, European Cut, Transitional Cut, Rose Cut, etc. have different faceting patterns when compared to the Modern Round Brilliant Cut diamonds. Hence, take a closer look at the facet arrangement of the gemstones on the ring.
Settings
The setting styles of rings have tremendously changed over the years. Victorian and Georgian jewelry often used pressed down silver settings for encircling the gemstone in claw-like folds. Art Deco pieces are famous for its bezel, grain, or rub settings, finished with fine milegraine edges. If this milegraine edges are sharp, with unworn claw or rub settings, then they indicate that the ring is new.