Vintage Platinum Jewelry

It's not often that buyers have an opportunity to invest in the past as well as the future, but vintage jewelry makes it possible. A custom-made ring or set of earrings lets the owner take part in the long history of jewelry making and fashion, as well as the preservation of these treasures. While buying modern jewelry is a clear statement about the future, wearing or collecting vintage items shows a reverence for lost arts.

Before machine bruting, which helped an artisan to achieve a first round cut at the girdle, every stone was cut by hand to a visual standard. This is why antique diamonds are never perfectly symmetrical. No human being could achieve such a cut unassisted. Neither could early faceting techniques, with their open culets, attain the brilliance of modern cuts. Appreciating what these exceptional craftsmen did produce is part of investing in vintage jewelry.

Advancements in Making Vintage Jewelry

The introduction of the many-faceted European diamond cut and the substitution of platinum for silver led to changes in designs. Fashion and wartime restrictions on materials further drove the trends for:

• Yellow gold, silver and platinum settings for wedding rings
• Decorative flourishes, such as florals, silhouettes and serpents
• Vintage filigree designs well into the 20th century

Aesthetic and economic values swayed the popularity of antique jewelry, but nothing diminished the quality of the precious metals and stones that were used. Today, these pieces wear well and make solid investments, because the beauty of the early cut stones and metal work never dissipates. Buyers from San Francisco to San Diego can find vintage rings, earrings and bracelets that stand the test of time and fashion at Single Stone.