Why buy antique and vintage jewellery?

Firstly, let’s define what antique and vintage jewellery is. Antiques are defined as anything over 100 years old, so at the time of writing, anything made before 1924 counts as antique. However, what is considered vintage is harder to define. It literally means ‘of age’ and generally applies to items between 50 and 100 years old, although some people are of the opinion that it can be as recent as 25 years.

There are many reasons why antique jewellery can be a better purchase than its modern equivalent. Let's take a look at some of the reasons...

Excellent craftsmanship. Antique jewellery was made by highly-skilled craftsmen who could spend many hours forging a ring mount by hand from a sheet of metal. Although not all antique rings are forged, the ones that are tend to be stronger than their cast counterparts in the same metal. Carefully considered design elements would often be added, such as piercing to the gallery to enable more light to pass through a gemstone, or carving to the shank, giving it a more delicate, refined look.

These pieces have been passed down through many generations and have withstood the test of time. Survivorship bias comes into play here, with the better-made pieces enduring through the years. The saying “they don’t make them like they used to” certainly applies here. Nowadays, the vast majority of modern jewellery is cast, with very little evidence of the skill and workmanship of past times.

Find your perfect piece. One of the advantages of antique jewellery over today’s pieces is the vast variation in style. Many of today’s pieces are mass-produced and lack the elaborate details and individuality of older pieces. You could visit several jewellery shops and find pretty much the same piece in each, with no details to differentiate one from the other. A modern diamond solitaire is a good example of this, as most of today’s diamonds are cut to exact mathematical proportions which results in a uniformity to them, meaning there are very few characteristics to distinguish one from the other. In contrast, antique stones were entirely cut by hand, with each gem possessing its own character. A diamond solitaire of yesteryear would also have other distinguishing features, perhaps with details such as millegraining. This adds a one-off quality that is rarely seen in contemporary pieces, because adding these details today is very expensive to produce.

It’s incredibly difficult to find craftsmen today who are skilled in many of the techniques that were once popular, such as enamelling, so buying antique is a good way to get your hands on a piece that you won't find a modern equivalent for.

You can express your unique sense of style and individuality by accessorising with a piece that you won't find on anyone else. Plus, antique and vintage pieces possess a charm and character that is often missing in modern pieces. Perhaps the clean, geometric lines of the Art Deco era speak to you, or the symbolism of Victorian jewellery has a particular appeal. Both eras offer jewellery that can add a unique touch to your style. If you’re looking for beautiful and unusual pieces to add to your collection, antique jewellery is a great place to start!

Wear a piece of history. Although we can’t always know if the exact provenance of a piece, it’s fun to imagine who might have worn a piece before it found its way into your hands. Could a glamourous woman have worn your cocktail ring to an elegant soiree? Perhaps your acrostic ring was given from a man to his lover.

Price. One of the big draws is the price- the depreciation in value has already happened. If we were to liken it to a newly bought car, the price decreases as soon as it is driven off the forecourt. Given that antique jewellery is already old, there is no price depreciation to factor in, on the contrary, the price is more likely to appreciate as the years go on and the jewellery becomes more difficult to source. Hence it offers far better value for money than a new piece purchased today.

Sustainability. One of today’s hot topics is the environment, and how to best preserve it. Partaking in the idea of the circular economy is one way to do this as a consumer. This means reusing, repairing, restoring and recycling products wherever possible, instead of buying new. Buying antique and preloved jewellery is a far more environmentally friendly way to buy. Firstly, you reduce your carbon footprint as the piece has already been manufactured, and giving a piece of jewellery a new lease of life reduces the need for destructive mining processes. Another big plus is that since the vast majority of antique and vintage jewellery predates major conflicts, you can purchase pieces knowing that the gemstones are conflict-free. It truly is an antidote to today’s fast-fashion, throwaway culture.

Thrill of the hunt. Whether you have a specific piece in mind, or whether you’re keeping an eye out for a unique item that speaks to your individual sense of style, it can be fun to search for your perfect piece. There’s a sense of excitement when you come across the piece you’ve been hoping to find for a long time! You never know what one-of-a-kind pieces you might find, and you can be sure that you won't come across someone else wearing the exact same piece.

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