Our Vintage & Antique Jewelry Blog

Last week, we were thrilled to host the launch party for Beth Bernstein’s new book, If These Jewels Could Talk: The Legends Behind Celebrity Gems. Inspired by one of the chapters, we exhibited a specially curated collection of sentimental jewelry, including vintage charm bracelets, colorful carved gems, and diamond encrusted brooches. See the full exhibition catalog here. 

We’re positively swooning over the beautiful gowns that debuted at the Bridal Week Fall 2016 shows. After obsessively poring over each collection, we identified three trends and created wedding jewelry looks to compliment them. We started by highlighting our newest cache of green rings (emeralds and demantoid garnets!) and then let the dresses lead the way.

On September 24th from 6-9pm, meet the Gems of the Meatpacking District! Doyle & Doyle is teaming up with four other fabulous jewelers to introduce the Meatpacking District as New York’s newest jewelry destination. Each of the boutiques, Marisa Perry Atelier, Reinstein Ross, Efva Attling, and Anna Inspiring Jewellery, is hosting a special event. We also have a special treat lined up: a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of Elizabeth Doyle’s personal jewelry collection.

To celebrate the festive season, we present our holiday gift guides!

The New Meets Old gift guide highlights the intersection of vintage jewelry and modern shapes. Bold antique pieces pair with classic styles that transcend their time period, plus modern jewels influenced by vintage design.

Since Doyle & Doyle’s founding in 1998 by sisters Elizabeth and Irene Pamela Doyle, they’ve showcased a beautifully curated selection of vintage, antique, and estate jewelry. Led by the Doyles’ love of history and design, Doyle & Doyle also serves as a resource for the community to discover the rich history of jewelry and personal adornment. In this tradition, we are excited to introduce The Vault, an ongoing series of exhibitions of curated collections around a theme.

For the second Vault exhibition, Elizabeth selected a topic close to our hearts: rings. The reasons people exchange rings, and the feelings they evoke, inspired “Sentimental Rings: From Birth to Death and In-Between.” Elizabeth’s co-curator is none other than the ring queen herself, Danielle Miele of Gem Gossip. Danielle’s love affair with rings is well documented in her “Show Me Your Rings” series, where she invites readers and fellow jewelry lovers to submit photos of their favorite collections. We’re excited to share a selection of her treasured pieces, alongside rings from Elizabeth Doyle, Doyle & Doyle, and other private collections.

While most of the pieces included in “Sentimental Rings” are from private collections and not for sale, click here to shop our Vault-inspired curated collection for similar styles. Doyle & Doyle rings included in the exhibition will be available for purchase after “Sentimental Rings” ends on November 9.

The rings in “Sentimental Rings: Birth to Death and In-Between” comprise five themes:

Birth & Childhood: Commemorating the birth of a child or significant event in childhood.

Memento: A souvenir of a special event, time or place.

Love Token: A gift of friendship, remembrance or romantic love between two people.

Courting & Marriage: Stating an intention of love, betrothal and commitment.

Death & Mourning: Honoring and remembering the departed and revering mortality.

Whether simple or dramatic, a bride’s ensemble reflects her personal style and can set the tone for the entire wedding. A lot of thought goes into her head-to-toe look, from the dress to the shoes to the jewelry. After tearing ideas from magazines and pinning up a storm, she may be overwhelmed by the possibilities. Luckily, there’s an easy way to pinpoint a style – look to the venue! The couple’s choice of location will influence the color palette and decor, why not let it also inspire the fashion? Based on our Doyle & Doyle brides, we’ve curated five looks based on popular wedding venues. Couture gowns from Giambattista Valli, Elie Saab, Vionnet, and Chanel are matched with vintage and antique jewelry to create bridal styles that are both modern and timeless.

Is there anything more romantic than a garden wedding? Trailing ivy, a sun dappled lawn, and colorful flowers are all the decoration you need to create a beautiful day. Perfectly at home in any garden is this flower strewn Giambattista Valli gown, matched with wedding jewelry that picks up the palette of pink, green, and yellow. Wouldn’t a jeweled butterfly look beautiful perched on the shoulder, at the waist, or even in the bride’s hair? And we love the sentiment of Victorian forget-me-nots which decorate the delicate bangle. Add in a pair of colorful cocktail rings and diamond briolette earrings for sparkle, and you’re ready for “I do”.

The beginning of March means that it’s Oscar time – the perfect event to inspire our two Engagement Rings of the Week. A beautiful piece of jewelry, like a couture gown, is a work of art that transcends its time period. In this spirit of timeless beauty, we paired our rings with two vintage gowns that were recently worn on the Oscar red carpet. It doesn’t hurt that they’re both ivory and could make killer wedding gowns! 

Some have called him the “Faberge of our time” or likened him to Verdura, Bulgari, or Tiffany. But the reclusive jeweler JAR is a unique artist in his own right, with a stunning eye for design, detail, and construction.

Joel A. Rosenthal grew up in the Bronx and spent his childhood soaking in the atmosphere of New York, visiting museums and gaining a love of art and history. After graduating from Harvard in 1966, he moved to Paris and met his lifelong partner, Pierre Jeannet. Sharing a passion for beautiful objects, they opened a specialty needlepoint shop, where Rosenthal painted canvasses, selected yarns, and experimented with the rich color palette for which he’d soon become known. In 1976, Rosenthal and Jeannet opened their jewelry boutique, JAR, on Place Vendome, side by side with the most storied jewelers in the world. From the start, he was confident that his designs and craftsmanship would be as sought after as those of his neighbors.

Holiday parties call for sparkling frocks, killer shoes, and of course, beautiful jewels. From all-out diamond glitz to rich gold and dramatic colors, you’ll find everything you need to make it a glamorous holiday (or any time of year) in our gift guide!

101180E Vintage diamond earrings c. 1950 platinum and 18k $2800. 096847NW Heirloom fancy basket diamond pendant 18k $2100. 100969R Edwardian diamond and pink sapphire ring Birks platinum $5900. 095719E Victorian Whitby jet earrings 9k $650. 099961N Edwardian style negligee necklace Polish c. 1930 18k and platinum $4800. 100600M Art Nouveau diamond dragon cufflinks 18k $1200. 097608R Retro diamond and ruby ring c. 1950 14k and platinum $3800. 101694E Vintage diamond sea urchin earrings 18k $2800. 101500R Victorian gold filigree and turquoise bangle bracelet c. 1900 18k $2800.

Our third holiday gift guide features some of the most spectacular pieces in our collection, including historically important jewelry from the Georgian, Victorian, and Art Deco periods and incredible colored gemstones and diamonds. Each carefully selected jewel is a once in a lifetime gift and will quickly become her favorite statement piece.

Who doesn’t love a pop of color for the holidays? For our second gift guide, we’re showcasing every beautiful hue in our jewelry collection, including antique, vintage, and Heirloom pieces. From rich red ruby to velvety green emerald and sunny yellow citrine, we’ve got all your favorites covered. And if you’re like me and you’d rather wear every color (at the same time!), we’ve included a few of our favorite multicolor pieces at the end. Have a colorful, sparkling holiday!

098199R Vintage tourmaline cocktail ring 14k white gold $3650. 097679E Heirloom fancy basket ruby studs 18k gold $450. 096910E Victorian carnelian earrings c. 1890 10k gold $1800. 101355R Antique citrine flower ring c. 1910 14k gold $1200. 100206P Victorian citrine filigree brooch c. 1890 10k gold $1200. 098940N Victorian green enamel and pearl locket 15k gold $1800. 097086P Victorian turquoise and pearl striped brooch c. 1870 14k gold $1200. HE-0009a-8P Heirloom cushion cut lapis and diamond earrings 18k rose gold $1550. 092643E Heirloom fancy basket amethyst drop earrings 18k gold $525.

Our first Gift Guide of the season is inspired by the idea of being home for the holidays, whether you’re traveling to see family, celebrating with friends, or planning a romantic getaway. We layered vintage and antique pieces with the navigational West 13th Collection to create a versatile line up of unique holiday jewels.

How do you create a sense of home during the holiday season?