The tradition of giving an engagement ring started in the 15th Century.  Today, many couples prefer to buy antique engagement rings for their special occasion.

Rings which are less than 50 years old and purchased as used are known as 'estate' rings.  Rings greater than 50 years old are considered to be antique engagement rings. Antique engagement rings are sold by some jewellers, by dealers at antiques markets or you can find them at jewellery or antiques auctions or online jewellery stores.

These rings give you the chance to buy a unique and beautiful piece of jewellery that will make the wearer feel very special.  Fashion magazines are also extolling the virtues of these rings and have been saying that antique engagement rings are THE engagement rings to have.

When it comes to antique jewellery, there are three main periods: Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Art Deco.  When it comes to modern rings, diamonds are the most popular, but this hasn't always been the case.  Edwardian engagement rings used jade, pearls and opal in their ring settings.

Edwardian engagement rings were frequently made from platinum as the malleability of the platinum got better and the introduction of the oxy-acetylene torch made construction of the rings faster and easier.   A feature of Edwardian engagement rings was that they showed a lot of detail and weren't massed produced, like most of today's engagement rings. This meant that the ring you wore was unique.  While the price of these rings seems quite high, having a ring specially made by a craftsman these days would probably cost a lot more than buying an Edwardian antique engagement ring.  The main reason for this is the amount of design work that goes into the setting.

There are considerable differences between antique engagement rings from the Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Art Deco periods.  The engagement rings of the Art Nouveau period usually used silver and gold as well as ivory with glass and enamel in mounting the jewellery.  In this period the most often-used motifs for the rings are flowers, serpents, insects, vines, leaves, birds, and womens faces.

In the Edwardian period, engagement rings had the look of Louis XVI furniture decorations.  The Edwardian rings were usually made of platinum.

In the Art Deco period, the motifs for  engagement rings were animals, flowers and geometric shapes.

Engagements are all about the anticipation and excitement of a new life together, and a lot of couples want a ring which can’t be found in just any jeweller’s shop.  Whether from the Art Nouveau, Edwardian or Art Deco periods, an antique engagement ring can meet these requirements.

Antique lockets often come from the 19th century as they were incredibly popular at that time. There were many different locket designs, from the very large and ornately decorated to the small and simple. The shapes of the lockets could be oval, heart-shaped or circular and a number of different materials were used by the jewelers who created them. Gold or silver were popular, but non-precious metals were also widely used, such as gilt metal or gunmetal. Other materials used included diamonds, ivory, jet, turqoise, pearl and rock crystal.

It was common for the lockets to be engraved with the wearer's initials or a word such as 'Regard'. The lockets would sometimes be hung from a fairly short and thick chain known as a collar, the collars often being made of silver.

Lockets were also used as a way of remembering loved ones who passed away. A lock of hair from the deceased would be placed inside the locket, and the locket would have the name of the deceased person engraved into it.

In a similar way to the 'Dearest' ring or 'Regards' ring, lockets may be set with different varieties of gemstones to spell out these words. For example, the gems Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire and Topaz made up the word 'Dearest'.

Many lockets were made to house small photos, and these may be on display behind glass or kept hidden inside the locket. Some of the many shapes and forms lockets have been made in are: books, purses, chests, capsules and prayer boxes.