Antique Victorian Ring

Metalsmiths and jewelers during the Victorian period used many of the same tools and techniques that metalsmiths and jewelers do today.  Although today we have the precision of computer technology to create the sheet metal and metal wire from raw gold and silver, the creation of a piece of jewelry still has to be done by hand unless the ring is cast from a mold. With a mold, the original piece is hand carved by the artist first, then copied from the mold made from the original piece.

Jewelers still set stones by hand, solder and cut by hand, and hand finish many fine details on jewelry today.  Victorians liked a lot of detail on their jewelry, and rings were used for several purposes.  Rings were created for weddings and engagements, but were also used as signet rings, and for sealing official documents with wax.

During Victorian times, cameo rings were popular, and were carved by hand from gemstones, agate, or shell. These cameo rings usually featured a portrait that was in relief white against a colored background. Cameos usually had a pink, blue, or black background.

But Victorian rings also had many gemstones embedded in the design of the ring. Often a colored stone like emeralds, rubies or lapis were surrounded by smaller diamonds, or a diamond was surrounded by other diamonds.

Many rings had a broad or wide face on a slender band especially for women, and mens rings were more geometric in shape with less detail.

Antique jewelry is often one of the best preserved antiques in any household because jewelry is expensive, and meaningful to the owner, and because jewelry owners usually take excellent care of their jewelry.  Also jewelry is not diminished by time, most jewelry can be made good as new just by cleaning it.

That is great news for collectors, and fans of antique Victorian rings, because it means that you can find authentic Victorian antique rings for sale in excellent condition.  One of the best places to look for authentic Victorian rings in on Ebay.  There are several reputable sellers of authentic Victorian rings in many different ring style for men and for women.

I have listed several Victorian ring styles on this page including gemstone rings--onyx, citrine, tiger eye, jade, turquoise, coral, opal, diamond, and ruby.  Most of the rings are gold, although you can also find silver and platinum Victorian rings.  I was searching for authentic antique Victorian rings for this article, but you can also purchase reproductions of Victorian rings that are very beautiful.  The reproductions are Victorian style but not really from the Victorian period.  So that just depends on if you want an authentic piece of history.

Victorian engagement and Victorian wedding rings are very, very beautiful, and there are some excellent choices of engagement and wedding rings on Ebay.  If you don't like the rings that are featured here, you can click through any of the links to go to Ebay, and you can browse through the antique ring section.  Offerings literally change hourly, so don't be discouraged if you don't find something at first glance.

You can also find engagement and wedding rings with unusual stones (at least for today's market) like citrines that really stand out for a wedding ring.  No one else will ever be able to have the same ring as you if you buy an antique Victorian wedding ring.

Intaglio is the opposite of a cameo, where the gemstone is carved, but the design is cut into the stone instead of being in relief.  Intaglio was often used as a sealing ring for important documents and letters.  The wearer would drip hot wax onto the document, then press the ring face into the wax to form an official seal.  Since the seal was on the person's finger, it was very difficult for someone to steal it, or copy it.

Intaglio was cut into a flat ring usually square or rectangular in shape and usually worn by men, because they handled most of the business and official transactions during the era.  The ring style is a simpler style because of being used for seals.