Engagement Rings - Antique?

natc

Hi all.

Me and oh are going shopping to York on Fri in search of an engagement ring...... :j excited! (We love York and seen a nice antique shop there!!!) Anyway, im in 2 minds as to wether i want a new, only worn by me ring, or an antique/2nd hand ring... i really dont care about he cost of it, i wouldnt want a big lump sum going towards an engagement ring! At the end of the day, if we both like it, and we are married at the end of it, it doesnt matter really does it.

Anyway, has anyone ever had experiences of buying antique jewellery? Are we likely to be ripped off? ( )

Horace

Try not to think of the ring as being worn by someone else, think of it as your ring. You are just as likely to be ripped off going to a normal jewellers and buying a new ring as you are an old one.

My mum's engagement ring was brought from a pawn broker - a lovely ring with 3 diamonds, it looks fab and is worth loads more than when dad bought it for her back in 1960:D

Buy something that you like the look of, that looks good on your finger - if it doesnt fit the jeweller should be able to re-size it for you.

Hope you find something nice.

Kavanne

i bought a 2nd hand, (made in 2001) not antique ring off eBay and I paid 1/4 of what it is worth for it. Bargain

roxalana

I think a pre-loved ring would be nice. Unfortunately, despite generally being quite slim I have comparatively large fingers, so it is unlikely I would get one to fit - I heard there was a limit to how much they could size them up! I think my ring finger is a size R...

Kavanne

roxalana wrote: »

I think a pre-loved ring would be nice. Unfortunately, despite generally being quite slim I have comparatively large fingers, so it is unlikely I would get one to fit - I heard there was a limit to how much they could size them up! I think my ring finger is a size R...

I had mine sized DOWN from an M to an I... On eBay you can search by size but I would say it's not that important provided it's a sturdy setting. Even if something does go wrong you can always have the diamond reset into a new band.

Jem8472

if you do look at older rings something worth checking is that the shank is still think. If it is old there is a good chance that the shank will have worn down and at some point it will need to be redone. I have got no idea how much that would cost.
Also if you run your finger over the top of the stone you can normally feel if the setting is worn. It is usually sharp and scratchy if they are worn and will need retipping.

I bought a second hand ring for my GF, the shank and the setting were both in good condition so it did not cost anything to make sure it was ok to wear for a long time.

natc

Thanks for your advice and comments everyone,much appreciated. Were just going to have a look around, and see what i like, see what looks nice on, cant wait!

I just dont wanna take the fun out of searching for a ring, but obviously dont wanna be ripped offwith something that looks nice, but isnt really all that they say it is, iykwim.

brownfrog

Jem8472 wrote: »

if you do look at older rings something worth checking is that the shank is still think. If it is old there is a good chance that the shank will have worn down and at some point it will need to be redone. I have got no idea how much that would cost..

Shouldn't be a lot. I have a silver ring that I've owned for over 30 years, and the band just snapped one day because it was worn so thin. Took it into a local jewellers and they fixed it (barely visible line) and polished it for me for £18. Obviously, it would cost a bit more for gold or platinum, but I doubt it'd be more than 3 or 4 times that cost, as the labour involved is the same.

blonde36er

My engagement ring is antique, 1930s white gold and diamond, and I would highly recommend an antique ring to anyone! I think they have a tendency to look a bit nicer than newer ones (new rings all looked the same to me) and mine certainly cost no more than a new one. It was also free to have resized and it was beautifully polished when it came back. I also like the idea of it being a little bit of history - even if I don't know what that history is!

natc

Yes! I like the idea of it having an history also! Ive some lovely 1930's ones in the antique shop, they are beautiful, and i think youre right, the new ones, or most of the ones ppl i know have, are all very similar. Whats the fun in that?!

beebuzz168

I've got a 1930's ring too!

I love that it's a bit different from the modern solitaire setting, and that I'm not likely to find someone with the same thing...

My OH (who chose the ring himself, clever boy!) bought it at an antique jewellery shop in the diamond quarter in London... name escapes me at the moment... so not much use for you in York but they will contact me annually for a ring check to make sure no stones are coming lose and give it a polish up - I'm sure other antique shops would offer a similar service.

Good luck on your search, it really is great to have something unique to you!