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.

It was bound to happen – our three diamond Engagement Ring of the Week just flew out the door to a new home! We know there are soon-to-be brides out there hunting for vintage engagement ring inspiration, so we decided to go ahead and share the photos anyway. If you love this ring, we may be able to find you something similar. Email us at info@doyledoyle.com with your ideas, and in the meantime, browse more vintage three stone rings.

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.

The centerpiece of our curated collection inspired by Charles James is this fabulous vintage engagement ring which mixes architectural structure with a flowing sense of movement. Crafted in platinum, the engagement ring features a 0.93ct round brilliant cut diamond, flanked by trios of baguettes and round single cut diamonds. The light plays differently over the facets of each stone and shape, giving the ring a beautiful shimmer. I especially love the metal detail that weaves around the bezels of the round accents, it reminds me of the draping details in a Charles James gown.

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! 

For our holiday Engagement Ring of the Week, we couldn’t resist this brand new arrival. It’s a French Belle Epoque dinner ring dating to 1900, centering a glittering old Mine cushion cut diamond and fashioned in platinum-topped gold. Asymmetrical curls of rose cut stones create a swirling sense of movement and its long shape beautifully flatters the hand. This beauty is so new to our collection that I literally snatched it from the new inventory tray. It’s item # 101547R and you can see it sparkling in our West 13th Street store, but it’s not yet on the website. Call (212) 677-9991 or email info@doyledoyle.com for more information.

One more week to our November 15th Grand Opening at 412 West 13th Street! Inspired by the spirit of our new neighborhood, we’re showcasing a 1940s Engagement Ring of the Week that fits perfectly into the industrial, cobblestoned streets of New York’s Meatpacking District. The chunky Old Mine cut diamond is a striking contrast to the streamlined, architectural mounting, fashioned in palladium. 

We love it, our couples love it, Stone Fox Bride loves it… we think it’s high time we feature our Heirloom cushion cut gemstone ring as the Engagement Ring of the Week. A Doyle & Doyle original, this cushion cut ring is a fusion of antique and modern, evoking inspiration from ancient Egypt, India, and Renaissance Italy.

Choose between lapis lazuli, turquoise, or hematite, which can be set in 18k yellow, rose, or white gold. A trio of diamonds adorns the shank on either side for sparkle. Try pairing it with a vintage gold wedding band highlighted by black enamel, or a vintage diamond band. 

This week is our celebration of October’s birthstones, opal and tourmaline, and you may be wondering why we’re featuring a diamond engagement ring. We always love a colored stone engagement ring, and both opal and tourmaline are some of the most colorful out there! However, both are soft stones, especially opals, and we don’t recommend them for hard, everyday wear.