Vintage-Inspired Engagement Rings
We love antique diamonds and how each antique stone we find is very unique. Here is a collection of rings that we have degined and made here in NYC with authentically antique diamonds that we have sourced throughout the years.
Antique Diamonds
The two main antique diamonds are the old European cut and the old mine cut diamonds. To put it simply, old European cut is the antique version of the modern round brilliant cut diamond and the old mine cut is the antique version of the cushion cut diamond. These are the main cuts of diamonds that are seen throughout antique jewelry and that we use in the rings that we make here in New York City.
We also do love the antique Fancy shapes! Fancy shape antique diamonds include ovals, pears, cushions (which we touched on above), hearts (oh, so rare!), movals, marquise, and some random other shapes that pop up in vintage engagement rings and vintage jewelry! We typically don't care the shape, as long as it is antique it's sure to be beautiful!
Vintage Styles
We just adore vintage and antique jewellery! We may be biased, but we come from a truly unbiased place! Andria, the owner of our company, searched and searched for a just beautiful engagement ring and when she stumbled upon vintage and vintage styles, she was sold. Thus was born Andria Barboné.
There is something truly special about vintage jewelry. These pieces were made in a time (most prior to 1930) where craftsmanship was highly valued. These jewelry makers would spend hours crafting a singular piece which is different from today's processes which produce multiple rings per hour. When they spent all of this time, they could create incredibly intricate pieces that were so tastefully made. Vintage packs so many fine details into one small piece (which takes a lot of time and skill!) to produce a gorgeous look.
Vintage pieces utilized filigree heavily in the Edwardian and Art Deco Eras and is essentially lace-like metal. The Patrice ring is a great example of the vintage methods. They were able to include these beautiful details all while keeping the piece very low-profile.
Modern jewelry tends to be more simple so that it can be made so quickly and easily.
We like to take our time. We use a highly skilled jeweler that can really replicate the looks of the past. We use hand engravers to put that vintage touch on a piece and subtly elevates it. We choose hard to find, beautiful stones that will always be desirable.
Metal Choice
We love yellow gold. We tend to use 18kt yellow gold to create the majority of our vintage-inspired engagement rings as yellow gold wasn't as prolific during the Edwardian and Art Deco eras which tend to be our favorite designs.
An interesting note on gold: pure gold is 24 karats so essentially 24 parts. When you have 18 karat yellow gold, this means that 18 parts are gold and 6 parts are a combination of other alloys. There are many other alloys that can be used so, depending on the allow, you will see many different shades of yellow gold.
We use an 18 karat yellow gold that is most similar to the antique gold that was used as that color is just so appealing. We adore this color and can't get enough as it is a lovely neutral tone that is definitely yellow gold but with a hint of rosiness that softens it just a touch!
Why don't we make rings out of 24kt gold? That's because 24kt gold is too soft. 18 karat gold has enough of the other alloys to make it super strong to hold your valuable stones.
We also love Platinum for a white metal look! Platinum is a great metal and the metal of choice for the Edwardian Era and Art Deco Era. Platinum is a durable, beautiful, and timeless metal.
