Choosing to buy or sell a unique engagement ring can seem like an intimidating process. Selling your personal jewelry can be just as emotional as choosing a piece for your future. A reputable Arizona jewelry buyer will help you navigate through the best course of action to take when buying or selling vintage jewelry. It’s the most important aspect of the jewelry selling process.

With more than 30 years of experience in evaluating and purchasing hundreds of antique rings containing diamonds and other precious gems, Ralph Mueller & Associates offers the highest credentials in our profession, as well as the finest attentive personal service anywhere.

The Significance of Antique Jewelry

Each piece of vintage jewelry has both a mysterious lure and lore all its own. These carefully crafted heirlooms are rightly considered works of fine art in the jewelry world. Learning about their historical context will help you appreciate their beauty on a more personal level. Like other antique jewelry, these unique engagement rings are categorized by the era in which they were created. Each period is identifiable by exceptional signatures that help our GIA gemologists date each piece and identify reproductions. Here are a few of the most popular periods for truly unique engagement rings.

Engagement Rings Through the Ages

Victorian (1835-1890)

Finding an engagement ring from this popular era is difficult, but not impossible. Jewelry designs during Queen Victoria’s reign were particularly feminine and romantic. The elegant pieces often feature handcrafted hearts, birds, bows and floral patterns.

Edwardian (1890-1910)

The Industrial Age brought advances in manufacturing platinum, the perfect medium for exotic ring designs. Diamonds and exotic gemstones were set in delicate, lace-like platinum mountings accented with natural pearls. If a ring is believed to be from this period and is not platinum, it’s a reproduction.

Art Deco (1915-1935)

Designs changed dramatically during this period. Grandeur and opulence influenced engagement ring designs early in the era, as evidenced by heavily detailed filigree rings were wrought in newly introduced white gold. During the second decade, brightly colored gemstones like emeralds, rubies and sapphires were included in more geometrically designed rings.

The jewelry experts at Ralph Mueller & Associates can answer your questions about all types of unique engagement rings. Whether you wish to sell a vintage heirloom or buy an antique ring, we invite you to contact us in Scottsdale at 480-949-9299 to learn more about the history and value of these precious items.