Vintage Engagement Rings

Bottom Line Up Front

If you want the vintage look without the risk of buying an actual old ring, this guide will help you make the right choice. To keep things simple, I’ll be looking at Brilliant Earth, one of our favorite jewelers. Brilliant Earth builds new rings with old-world details like milgrain, filigree, and hand engraving. Every stone comes with a real grading report, and every setting comes with a lifetime warranty. If you want something truly antique, Brilliant Earth also sells real, one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces from past eras, so you don’t have to gamble on an estate sale or an online reseller you’ve never heard of.

This guide walks you through how to pick the right vintage or antique style ring, step by step, using Brilliant Earth’s own collection as the example.

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

• What Is a Vintage Style Engagement Ring?
• Vintage Style vs. a Genuine Antique Ring
• How to Choose a Vintage Style Ring, Step by Step
• Popular Vintage Style Settings
• How Much Do Vintage Style Rings Cost?
• Where Brilliant Earth’s Diamonds and Metals Come From
• Bottom Line
• FAQ

What Is a Vintage Style Engagement Ring?

A vintage style engagement ring is a brand new ring made to look like it came from an older time period. Think Victorian, Edwardian, or Art Deco. The ring is built today, with today’s materials, but it borrows details from the past. Milgrain edges. Hand engraving. Filigree. Halos shaped like flowers or scallops.

This is different from an actual antique ring, which is a ring that’s genuinely decades old. I’ll get into that difference in the next section, because it matters a lot for what you’re actually buying.

Rapaport, a jewelry industry publication, has reported that Art Deco style rings from the 1920s and 1930s are some of the most requested vintage looks right now. Brilliant Earth’s vintage collection leans into that same style, along with Victorian-inspired halos and Edwardian filigree.

Vintage Style vs. a Genuine Antique Ring

Here’s the choice you’re really making. Do you want a new ring built to look old, or do you want a ring that’s actually old?

A vintage style ring is made today. You get a certified diamond, a warranty, and a setting built to modern manufacturing standards. The vintage details, milgrain, filigree, hand engraving, are added on purpose to get that old-world look.

A genuine antique ring is a piece that’s actually 50 or more years old. It has real history. It also comes with real risk. Old rings rarely come with a current grading report, so you often can’t confirm the diamond’s cut, color, or clarity the way you can with a new stone. The setting might be worn down in ways you can’t see until a prong fails. And you’re often paying a premium just because the ring is old, not because the materials or craftsmanship are better.

If you want the vintage look with none of that risk, Brilliant Earth’s vintage style collection is built exactly for that. If you want a genuine piece of history, Brilliant Earth also carries a unique antique collection of one-of-a-kind, authentic heirloom rings, so you don’t have to shop that risk alone through an estate sale or an unfamiliar reseller.

How to Choose a Vintage Style Ring, Step by Step

1. Pick the era that matches your style. Art Deco means geometric shapes and bold lines. Victorian and Edwardian mean floral shapes, soft curves, and lace-like metalwork. Look through a few options in each before you decide. The eras look different enough that this narrows things down fast.

2. Choose your setting style. A halo setting rings the center stone with smaller diamonds, which adds sparkle and can make the center stone look bigger. A three stone setting uses a center diamond flanked by two smaller stones, often read as a symbol of the past, present, and future. Both styles show up throughout Brilliant Earth’s vintage collection.

3. Look for the details that make it read as vintage. Milgrain is the small beaded edging along the metal. Filigree is delicate, lace-like metalwork. Hand engraving adds fine detail by hand rather than by machine. A setting with one or more of these details will read as vintage even without an antique diamond shape.

4. Pick a diamond shape. Round and oval work with almost any vintage style. If you want the ring to lean more Art Deco specifically, emerald and asscher cut diamonds fit that geometric look. Brilliant Earth’s Design Your Own tool lets you pair any of these shapes with a vintage setting before you commit.

5. Decide between natural and lab grown diamonds. Both are genuine diamonds with the same chemical and optical properties. Lab grown diamonds cost less, which means more of your budget can go toward a bigger center stone or a more detailed setting. Natural diamonds carry a geological history some buyers prefer. Neither one is the wrong choice.

6. See it before you buy it. Brilliant Earth has 40+ stores across the US where you can book an appointment and look at vintage settings in person. If a store isn’t nearby, a virtual appointment lets you do the same thing over video.

Popular Vintage Style Settings

Here are two settings from Brilliant Earth’s vintage collection that show what this style actually looks like in person.

The Elsie Engraved Ring starts at $1,490 in 14K yellow gold, and it’s one of the most flexible vintage settings Brilliant Earth carries, available in 14K and 18K white gold, 14K and 18K yellow gold, 14K rose gold, and platinum. The band tapers down to 1.8mm, with cathedral-style shoulders that arch up to cradle the center stone. Hand engraving and milgrain run along the setting, which is where the vintage look comes from, and a claw prong setting holds the diamond in place while gallery wire underneath adds extra support. It’s also one of Brilliant Earth’s most reviewed settings, holding a 4.9 average across more than 30 reviews, and it stacks flush with most wedding bands if you plan on adding one later.

The Camellia Milgrain Diamond Ring starts at $1,250 in 14K yellow gold, and comes in six metal options: 14K and 18K white gold, 14K and 18K yellow gold, 14K rose gold, and platinum. The 1.5mm band holds four round diamonds and two marquise diamonds as accents, adding up to 1/10 ct. tw., with milgrain that winds up toward the side stones for that floral, vintage look. A claw prong setting holds the center stone, and the low profile keeps the ring from snagging during daily wear. This setting won a JCK Jeweler’s Choice Award, and it holds a 4.8 average across 23 reviews.

Both of these are settings only, which means you choose your own center diamond separately, natural or lab grown, in the shape and size that fits your budget.

How Much Do Vintage Style Rings Cost?

Vintage style settings at Brilliant Earth start under $2,000, like the two examples above. From there, the price depends mostly on your center diamond, since the setting price and diamond price are listed separately.

A lab grown diamond will get you a bigger stone for less money in the same setting. A natural diamond costs more per carat but carries a different kind of history for buyers who want that. Either way, Brilliant Earth’s Design Your Own tool shows you the running total as you build the ring, so you’re never guessing where the money is going.

Genuine antique pieces from Brilliant Earth’s unique antique collection are priced individually since each one is one of a kind. Expect a wider price range here, since you’re paying for a specific piece of history rather than a made-to-order setting.

Where Brilliant Earth’s Diamonds and Metals Come From

Sourcing matters more with vintage jewelry than people expect, mostly because vintage buyers tend to care about history and where things come from in the first place.

Brilliant Earth’s natural diamonds have to meet the Beyond Conflict Free™ standard. That covers five specific things: no financing of civil wars, no human rights abuses, fair labor practices, responsible environmental impact, and community investment at the mine level. Less than 1% of the world’s natural diamonds meet this bar. Every stone is traced to a specific mine operation, not just a general region.

Brilliant Earth also uses approximately 99% repurposed precious metals across its rings, which matters if you like the idea of a ring with a story behind the material, not just the design.

Bottom Line

If you want a vintage or antique look for your engagement ring, you have two honest paths. Buy a new ring built with old-world details, or buy a genuine antique piece from a store that can vouch for it.

Brilliant Earth covers both. The vintage style collection gives you milgrain, filigree, and hand engraved settings starting under $2,000, paired with a certified diamond and a lifetime warranty. The unique antique collection gives you real, one-of-a-kind heirloom rings if you want actual history on your hand. Either way, you can see the ring in person at one of Brilliant Earth’s 40+ stores before you commit.

FAQ

What is a vintage style engagement ring?

A vintage style engagement ring is a newly made ring designed to look like it came from an earlier time period, such as the Victorian, Edwardian, or Art Deco era. It uses details like milgrain, filigree, and hand engraving, but it’s built with modern materials and comes with a current diamond grading report.

Is a vintage style ring the same as an antique ring?

No. A vintage style ring is brand new and made to look old. A genuine antique ring is actually old, usually 50 years or more. Brilliant Earth sells both: a vintage style collection of new rings with old-world details, and a separate unique antique collection of authentic, one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces.

Are vintage style engagement rings more expensive than other styles?

Not necessarily. At Brilliant Earth, vintage style settings start under $2,000, similar to many other setting styles. The overall cost mostly comes down to your center diamond, not the vintage detailing itself.

Is it risky to buy an actual antique engagement ring?

Yes, if you’re buying from an unfamiliar seller. Real antique rings rarely come with a current grading report, so it’s hard to confirm the diamond’s quality. The setting’s condition can also be hard to judge without an in-person inspection. Buying through a store that vets its antique inventory, or getting an independent appraisal, lowers that risk.

What diamond shapes work best with vintage style settings?

Round and oval diamonds work with almost any vintage style. If you want a more Art Deco specific look, emerald and asscher cut diamonds fit that geometric style well. Cushion cut diamonds also show up often in Victorian-inspired settings.

Can I use a lab grown diamond in a vintage style setting?

Yes. Brilliant Earth’s vintage style settings work with either natural or lab grown diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are genuine diamonds with the same chemical and optical properties as natural stones, and they typically cost less, which means more budget for a bigger stone or a more detailed setting.

Can I see a vintage style ring in person before buying?

Yes. Brilliant Earth has 40+ store locations across the US where you can book an appointment and try on vintage settings with a jewelry specialist. Virtual appointments are also available if there isn’t a store near you.

About the author

Mike Fried Mike Fried has over 25 years experience in the diamond industry working with Leo Schachter Diamonds, Moshe Namdar Diamonds, and joining The Diamond Pro in 2007. He is recognized as an industry expert and has been quoted in publications such as Us, People, Page Six, The Next Web and more.