In the last few years there have been several celebrities that have chosen vintage diamond engagement rings and many of them have been Victorian inspired. As a result, Victorian engagement rings are once again becoming popular among others as well.One particular style of engagement ring that is experiencing a resurgence is the toi et moi ring or the ‘you and me’ ring. This French style ring was once very popular during the 19th century and today they have become popular again. The resurgence in popularity began after Sandra Bullock was presented with a ‘you and me’ ring by Jesse James in 2005. Sandra’s ring was a platinum band featuring two octagonal diamonds.
Originally, the ‘you and me’ engagement rings were designed purely for the purpose of romance in order to design an engagement ring with a tremendous amount of meaning. Although the exact design of the engagement ring can vary, one thing that ‘you and me’ engagement rings have in common is two stones that are set opposite one another. The two stones may also be encircled by other gemstones as well. The two stones may be matching or they may be different. Most ‘you and me’ engagement rings feature at least one diamond.
Another style of Victorian engagement ring that is becoming popular once again is the regards ring. Originally, this type of engagement ring was designed to spell the word REGARDS using specific gemstones, such as a ruby, emerald, garnet, amethyst, ruby, diamond and sapphire. The regards ring could also be used to spell out the initials or even the name of the person who presented the ring. Other regards rings spelled other words, such as love, with the gemstones lapis lazuli, opal, vermarine and emerald.
The dearest ring was a similar style of Victorian ring that used specific gemstones to spell out the word dearest. In this case the gemstones diamond, emerald, amethyst, ruby, emerald, sapphire and topaz were used.
Perhaps one of the most popular styles of Victorian engagement rings was the serpent or snake ring. Although extremely unusual, this style of engagement ring was preferred by many, including Queen Victoria. This style of ring featured two serpents, one representing the bride and the other representing the groom. The two serpents are intertwined on the ring. In many cases, the serpents were often set with gemstones.
Queen Victoria wore the serpent ring throughout her marriage, following her engagement to Prince Albert. Interestingly enough, because of the fact that she had already been crowned as Queen it was she who had to propose to him. Their certainly seems to have been a true love. Following his death, she mourned him for the remainder of her life, which was quite lengthy, by continuing to wear black even after the first year of mourning.
Three stone engagement rings also became popular during the Victorian era as well. While three stone rings are popular today, they differ from the three stone rings that emerged in the 19th century. Many such rings featured diamonds, commonly old-mine cut diamonds, as well as seed pearls. Some rings also featured interlacing hearts as well as other shapes and motifs.
While Victorian rings varied quite a bit, they all typically had some features in common. Many such rings were set in either rose or yellow gold. The rings also commonly featured diamonds, much like today’s engagement rings. Toward the end of the Victorian era, engagement rings were commonly set in layers of platinum and silver.
In addition to Victorian style engagement rings, there are also two other styles of antique engagement rings that have become very popular as well. They are Edwardian engagement rings and Art Deco engagement rings. Both of these vintage style engagement rings typically feature diamonds, although the stones are commonly set in an array of different patterns based on the unique style.
If you like the idea of a Victorian, Edwardian or Art Deco engagement ring, you have two options for having one for yourself as well. One option would be to take some of the designs that were popular during the 19th century and incorporate them into your own uniquely designed ring.
Another option would be to shop for a true vintage or antique Victorian engagement ring. Authentic Victorian engagement rings are commonly offered at auction as well as through estate sales. The price for such rings can vary depending upon their age, the size of the gemstone and the exact design itself. Rings which are rarer are likely to be more expensive. If it can be proved that the ring belonged to an important person it is also likely to be more expensive as well.
Regardless of whether you decide to design your own vintage style ring or purchase an authentic antique ring, you will be certain to love the unique design and receive many compliments on it.