Vintage, Victorian-era jewelry was made during Queen Victoria’s reign, in the mid-1830’s through the end of the 19th century. Historians often break Victorian jewelry into three periods:
– Early Romantic (mid 1830’s – 1850)
– Mid Grand (1860’s – 1870’s)
– Late Aesthetic (mid 1880’s – 1900)
Many early-era Victorian rings featured elaborate settings. Opening of the South African diamond mines around 1870 created a change in ring composition. Before the mines opened, diamonds were expensive and tiny stones were used to accent larger, colorful gemstones. With increased availability of diamonds came a wider variety of styles, often mixing large diamonds and other gemstones, such as sapphires and rubies. The serpent is another characteristic of Victorian rings. This design became popular because Queen Victoria wore a serpent engagement ring.
Visit MyOnlineWeddingHelp.com’s newly added Victorian Ring shopping pages for a selection of different styles:
http://www.myonlineweddinghelp.com/shop/victorian-ring.htm