Tips for Buying Vintage Antique Wedding Rings

If you have your heart set on buying vintage antique wedding rings for you and your partner, be prepared to do some leg work and some homework! There certainly are sets out there to be found, but it will be bit of a hunt. Here are a few tips to help make the search a little easier.

Get Your Peepers Ready!

Be prepared to inspect rings that you find very closely. You need, at first glance, to be able to tell if the piece is worth inspecting further. With the naked eye you should be able to spot things like missing stones, broken prongs, tarnished and/or discolored settings and areas of wear that mat indicate the piece is not worth considering.

Get In the Loupe

A 10x jeweler’s loupe is not very expensive, and could prove to worth every penny. While there are lots of detail you can see right away, there are also finer details that a loupe will help you see. Fine cracks, scratches, and sometimes signatures and hallmarks can only be seen with the benefit of a magnifying glass. Knowing the gold content of a ring is valuable and that is often hard to read.

Know Your Stuff

You’ll be one step up in the game if you know what you are looking for. Most vintage antique wedding rings will be made of traditional yellow gold or platinum. Platinum started to be used in the early 1900s and is almost twice as durable as yellow gold. Stones were cut differently in days gone by, so again you will use your jeweler’s loupe to closely examine the cut of the stone. If you have learned the different cuts beforehand, you should be able to determine am antique cut from a more modern one.

Get It in Writing

When you think you have found the ring you want to purchase, be sure to get the opinion of a master jeweler or antique dealer. Make sure the ring includes any papers of certification and/or appraisal. Find out about guarantees, especially if you are buying your vintage antique wedding rings online. Most important of all…don’t be afraid to ask questions.