The Belle Époque Ring: Where History Meets Luxury

An enchanting Belle Époque engagement ring, circa 1900, of an exceptional silhouette, unites platinum with 18K yellow gold. Its unique form is adorned with a principal 0.63ct old European cut diamond, encircled by ten old mine brilliant cut diamonds with a collective weight of 0.29ct. This extraordinary ring is a symphony of history and artistry, symbolising love's enduring nature, capturing the essence of an era defined by its embrace of elegance and the extraordinary.

Antique jewelry object group
engagement ring (or anniversary ring)

Condition
very good condition
more info on our condition scale

Country of origin
unknown

Style
Belle Époque - The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms. In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era.
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Style specifics
The Belle Époque (French for "Beautiful Era") was a period in European social history that began during the late 19th century from the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and lasted until World War I (1914-18).

Occurring during the time of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named in retrospect, when it began to be considered a "golden age" the major powers of Europe, new technologies improved lives and the commercial arts adapted Renaissance and eighteenth-century styles to modern forms.

In the newly rich United States, emerging from the Panic of 1873, the comparable epoch was dubbed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this epoch overlaps the end of what is called the Victorian Era there and the period named the Edwardian Era.

In the Belle Époque cheap coal and cheap labour contributed to the cult of the orchid and made possible the perfection of fruits grown under glass, as the apparatus of state dinners extended to the upper classes; champagne was perfected during the Belle Époque. Exotic feathers and furs were more prominently featured in fashion than ever before, as haute couture was invented in Paris, the centre of the Belle Époque, where fashion began to move in a yearly cycle; in Paris restaurants such as Maxim's achieved a new splendour and cachet as places for the rich to parade, and the Opéra Garnier devoted enormous spaces to staircases as similar show places.

After mid-century, railways linked all the major cities of Europe to spa towns like Biarritz and Deauville; their carriages were rigorously divided into first-class and second-class, but the super-rich now began to commission private railway coaches, as exclusivity was a hallmark of opulent luxury. Bohemian lifestyles gained a different glamour, pursued in the cabarets of Montmartre.

Period
ca. 1900
Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era.

Material
platinum and 18K yellow gold (touchstone tested)
more info on precious metals

Extra information
Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April, and besides being the most popular gemstone for engagement rings, it is also the anniversary gem for the 10th and 60th years of marriage.

Even though the diamond is the hardest of all gemstones known to man, it is the simplest in composition: it is common carbon. The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to earth. It was even said by some that they were the tears of the Gods or perhaps crystallized lightning or hardened dew drops. The exact origin of diamonds remained something of a mystery for centuries.

In ancient times only kings wore diamonds as a symbol of strength, courage and invincibility. Over the centuries, the diamond acquired its unique status as the ultimate gift of love. It was said that Cupid's arrows were tipped with diamonds which have a magic that nothing else can ever quite equal.

But it wasn't until 1477, when Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, that the tradition of diamond engagement rings began. Even the reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand dates back to the early Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the heart to the top of the third finger, left hand.

Diamonds
One old European cut diamond with an estimated weight of ± 0.63ct
Ten old mine brilliant cut diamonds with an estimated weight of ± 0.29ct

Total diamond count
Eleven pcs.

Total diamond weight
approx. 0.92 crt with an average colour and clarity G/I, vs/i

All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
All diamonds we offer are screened by the I.J.G.C. for whether they are natural or synthetic, and all diamonds in this jewel are 100% guaranteed to be natural.

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April.
more info on birthstones

Hallmarks
No trace.
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Dimensions
band width top of ring 0,90 cm (0,35 inch)
see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches

Weight
3,30 gram (2,12 dwt)

Ring size Continental EU: 53 & 17 , Size USA: 6¼ , Size UK: M

Resizing
Free resizing (only for extreme resizing we have to charge).
more info on ring sizes

Adin Reference Nº
22152-0291

Copyright photography
Adin, fine antique jewellery

Additional information
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