Our Vintage & Antique Jewelry Blog

We see a lot of fancy colored diamonds in celebrity engagement rings, but did you know that yellow diamonds have been popular for over a hundred years? Vintage fancy yellow diamonds, cut as cushions, Old Mine cuts, or Old European cuts, have a dramatic golden sparkle that elevates the most simple of settings to something really special. We were so inspired that we chose two Engagement Rings of the Week, one warmer hue set in gold from the 1940s and one cooler tone set in platinum from the 1960s.

Is it just us, or are sidewalks the new runways? From fashion bloggers to celebrities to off duty models, the streets of Fashion Week give us sartorial inspiration that’s a feast for the eyes. Over on Pinterest, we see the coolest street style looks as they happen and save our favorites to our Fashion + Jewels board. Of course, we can’t resist pairing them with jewelry from our collection!

Our community of jewel lovers has spoken, and here are our top five sparkling Instagrams from the month of August! This month, it was all about the diamond rings: vintage ones, antique ones, in stacks or individually. Follow us on Instagram to see our newest vintage rings, spectacular antique pieces, and behind-the-scenes peeks. 

This beautiful 1940s wedding set belongs to one of our Doyle & Doyle brides. We love the two-tone band she chose to compliment her vintage solitaire diamond ring. The band is from the same period as the engagement ring and they easily could’ve been worn together back in the day, but the classic style feels fresh and modern at the same time. Look for the #doyledoylelove tag to see more photos of our couples and their jewels.

Annnnnd, we’re back! For the first Engagement Ring of the Week in a long while, we chose one of our all-time favorites and a true classic, the Heirloom by Doyle & Doyle bezel set diamond ring in rich 18k gold. Designed by Elizabeth Doyle, this beauty is the perfect blend of old and new. The scroll band design is inspired by a vintage solitaire, but with the twist of a modern bezel setting. A vintage Old European cut diamond sparkles in the center and our signature star cut out on the underside allows you to see right through to the stone’s culet.

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”.

Our Engagement Ring of the Week is a shooting star of sparkling, golden loveliness! Dating to 1895 and with French import hallmarks, the antique engagement ring features an elongated Old Mine cut diamond set in a 18k gold frame of smaller Old Mine and rose cut diamonds. It’s hard to capture in photos, but these diamonds shimmer and dance in even the slightest bit of light. Each one was skillfully cut by hand and has a unique character all its own.

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! 

Why not ring in the new year with a bang? For the first featured engagement ring of 2014, we selected a striking Georgian style diamond cluster ring, showcasing a 1.56ct antique light yellow Old Mine cut diamond. With its frame of chunky Old European cut diamonds set in silver and a detailed rose gold band, this ring beautifully captures the dramatic elegance of the early 1800s.

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.

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? 

Halloween makes us want to pull out the blackest, most macabre jewelry in our collection – memento mori, or mourning jewelry. It can be difficult for us in the 21st century to understand why people wore jewelry that was a constant reminder of death. It feels a little creepy at first, but like all jewelry, mourning pieces were made from love and worn with love. This is antique jewelry at its most bittersweet and sentimental. 

We’re packing up our treasure chest of jewels! If you’ve been following along with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you may have seen our big news – Doyle & Doyle is moving to THE MEATPACKING DISTRICT!!  We’ll share more details on the new location and a special announcement tomorrow – watch this space!

Thinking about our new home in the chic Meatpacking District, we realize that the streets of New York are like so many Fashion Week catwalks. Stroll through any neighborhood and you’ll see an endless parade of different looks. Fashion magazines and blogs have caught on and they love to showcase New York’s unique brand of street style. 

October’s birthstones are two of the most versatile gemstones. Prized for their range of colors, opal and tourmaline have inspired jewelers, poets, and artists. Shakespeare called opal “the queen of gems” and Pliny the Elder wrote that within its depths, you could see “the living fire of the ruby, the glorious purple of the amethyst, the sea green of the emerald, all glittering together in an incredible mixture of light.” Opal’s unique play of color is caused by the way silica combines with water in the cavities of ancient rock formations.