Collection: Edwardian Engagement Rings

An Edwardian ring represents jewelry created roughly between 1901 and 1915, and is known for its understated yet feminine design that contrasts sharply with earlier styles from the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau eras. The hallmark of Edwardian jewelry is the pioneering use of platinum, enabling intricate designs heretofore not possible using softer gold and silver.  The strength of platinum allowed master jewelers to create ethereal and delicate designs with an almost lace-like appearance, with settings enhanced by milgrain edges and open fretwork. Because diamonds were extremely popular in the Edwardian period, new diamond-cutting techniques gave rise to old-European, marquise, emerald, baguette and briolette cuts. Edwardian ring styles often include elongated designs set with diamonds in openwork settings and natural pearls bordered by rows of diamonds. Edwardian rings also feature popular motifs like horseshoes, clovers, stars, hearts, bows, garlands and flowers with delicate filigree details.

Edwardian jewelry, created roughly from 1901-1915, displays the era's hallmark platinum craftsmanship and delicate lace-like designs that epitomize feminine elegance. 

Edwardian jewelry is renowned for its intricate filigree work, millegrain detailing, and intricate airy designs. Long chains, brooches in garland, bow and floral motifs set in ethereal openwork platinum settings often accented with luminous old European-cut diamonds and natural pearls reflect the sophisticated artistry of master jewelers who created these treasures to complement the highly fashionable and graceful, flowing silk, chiffon and embroidered fashions of King Edward VII's reign. 

Now quite rare, fine Edwardian jewelry was made possible by the use of the newly available material, platinum, a difficult metal to work with due to its density and hardness, but remarkable in its flexibility and unlike softer gold, its ability to withstand heat in the jewelry making process. These characteristics allowed for wonderful creativity and innovation by truly master jewelers. With the advent of propane in the 1970s platinum fabrication became much easier and is considered the metal of choice for fine diamond jewelry today.

Authenticating jewelry requires nuanced expertise. Many thousands of pieces of jewelry from every era and every maker have passed through our hands for over 40 years. This familiarity enables us to know what a piece should look and feel like, if it has the expected quality of material and workmanship, if the metal and makers marks are correct and if the expected signature is authentic.

As a first step, we look at the front and back of every bracelet, ring or brooch, turning it over in our hands to see that the workmanship on the reverse is as fine as the detail on the front. Using a loupe, the jeweler’s essential tool, we look carefully at many different touch points, some of which include examining the precision with which diamonds are mounted in their settings, the manner in which gold or platinum links are connected to each other, the fineness of the material, the quality of the azuring - a difficult and refined aspect of metalwork and lastly, the flawlessness of the polish.

If we have any doubts whatsoever as to authenticity, we submit the piece to the relevant firm, be it Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Verdura, David Webb and others. We also request the original bill of sale, box and papers for those items most commonly faked such as Cartier Love brackets and VCA Alhambra pieces. And just as banks know their customers, we, too, ensure we know enough about our clients to assure ourselves of their ownership and provenance.

Our team of GIA-certified jewelry experts has such a well-regarded reputation in the international jewelry industry that we are frequently called upon to advise auction houses, appraisers and other dealers in matters of authenticity and value.