Here at Trumpet & Horn, we absolutely adore vintage and everything it represents. Over the years, we've become aware that most people outside our industry don't know exactly what the term "vintage" really means! "Vintage" jewelry designs have become so popular all over the world that we wanted to try our best to help set the record straight. Whether you're just browsing or actually looking to buy, it helps
immensely to know exactly what you're looking at! The vast majority of engagement rings in our collection are authentically vintage or antique, but occasionally we come across a ring that's so exquisite we feel it would be a shame to keep it to ourselves! In these cases, we recreate these rings using antique cut diamonds for our line of
T&H vintage-inspired engagement rings. While these rings certainly have a vintage feel to them, we're the first to admit they are newly-made rings, and have never been owned before. Many jewelry stores today offer "vintage" collections, but what they are actually offering are
vintage-inspired rings, meaning: newly made, not previously owned rings, designed with a vintage aesthetic. While of course this isn't bad(!), it would be incorrect to say that these rings are authentically vintage.
So why does this matter? Well, there are a few reasons! 1. Authentically vintage rings are a part of history that have been loved for generations and were hand-crafted by artisans decades ago. As a customer, you either love this, or you don't! 2. Most newly made rings are mass produced in large factories, and newly mined diamonds are laser cut in mass quantities to exact specifications. Authentically vintage rings were made one-by-one with antique cut diamonds and hand-made tools, so each one is typically a little different from any other like it. When we say unique, we mean it! 3. Authentically vintage rings are usually designed with antique cut diamonds and gemstones that were mined before global diamond mining conflicts began. Ensuring a conflict-free diamond is much harder to do with newly made rings than with vintage, as most vintage rings were crafted before the conflicts began. So, which kind of engagement ring is right for
you? Take our quiz above to see if you can tell the difference between a vintage and vintage-inspired ring just by looking at it. There's much more to authentically vintage rings than what's on the surface! Also, make sure to read the full scoop on vintage vs. vintage-inspired on our
T&H Vintage Inspired Engagement Rings page!
