The Belle Époque ring: when history meets luxury

A charming Belle Époque engagement ring, dating from around 1900, with an exceptional silhouette, combines platinum and 18-carat yellow gold. Its unique shape is adorned with an old-cut diamond of 0.63 ct, surrounded by ten old-cut brilliant-cut diamonds with a total weight of 0.29 ct. This extraordinary ring is a symphony of history and art, symbolizing the endurance of love, capturing the essence of an era marked by its elegance and extraordinariness.

Object group of antique jewelry
engagement ring (or anniversary ring)

Condition
very good condition
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Country of origin
unknown

Style
Belle Époque - The Belle Époque is a period of European social history that began at the end of the 19th century and continued until the First World War. Taking place during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named retrospectively, when it began to be considered a "golden age." The great European powers, new technologies improved life, and commercial arts adapted Renaissance and 18th-century styles to modern forms. In the United States, newly wealthy and emerging from the Panic of 1873, this comparable era was nicknamed the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this period overlaps with the end of what is known as the Victorian era and the period called the Edwardian era.
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Style specifics
The Belle Époque (in French "Belle Époque") is a period of European social history that began at the end of the 19th century with the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) and lasted until the First World War (1914-1918).

Taking place during the era of the French Third Republic and the German Empire, the "Belle Époque" was named retrospectively, when it began to be regarded as a "golden age": the great European powers, new technologies improved life, and commercial arts adapted Renaissance and 18th-century styles to modern forms.

In the newly wealthy United States, after the Panic of 1873, this comparable period was called the "Gilded Age." In the United Kingdom, this era coincided with the end of the Victorian era and the so-called "Edwardian era."

During the Belle Époque, coal and cheap labor contributed to the orchid craze and allowed for the perfection of fruits grown under glass, while the trappings of state dinners spread to the upper classes; champagne was perfected during the Belle Époque. Exotic feathers and furs occupied a more important place than ever in fashion, with haute couture being invented in Paris, the center of the Belle Époque, where fashion began to evolve on an annual cycle; in Paris, restaurants like Maxim's reached new splendor and prestige by becoming parade venues for the wealthy, and the Opéra Garnier devoted immense spaces to staircases, similar places of spectacle.

After the middle of the century, railways connected all the major cities of Europe to spa towns such as Biarritz and Deauville; their carriages were strictly divided into first and second class, but the wealthiest began to order private cars, exclusivity being the mark of opulent luxury. The bohemian lifestyle acquired a different glamour, practiced in the cabarets of Montmartre.

Period
around 1900
Events and facts from this era, poetry from this era.

Material
platinum and 18-carat yellow gold (tested with a touchstone)
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Additional information
Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April and, in addition to being the most popular precious stone for engagement rings, it is also the anniversary gemstone for the 10th and 60th wedding anniversaries.

Although diamond is the hardest of all gemstones known to man, its composition is the simplest: it is made of ordinary carbon. The ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were splinters of stars fallen to Earth. Some even claimed they were the tears of the gods, crystallized lightning, or hardened drops of dew. The exact origin of diamonds remained a mystery for centuries.

In ancient times, only kings wore diamonds, as a symbol of strength, courage, and invincibility. Over the centuries, the diamond gained its unique status as the ultimate gift of love. It was said that Cupid's arrows were adorned with diamonds, whose magic was unrivaled.

But it was only in 1477, when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy, that the tradition of diamond engagement rings began. The very reason a woman wears it on the third finger of her left hand goes back to the Egyptian belief that the vena amoris (vein of love) ran directly from the heart to the tip of the third finger of the left hand.

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

Total number of diamonds
Eleven pieces

Total diamond weight
about 0.92 crt with an average color and clarity of G/I, vs/i

All diamond weights, color shades, and clarity are approximate as the stones are not removed from their settings to preserve the integrity of the mount.
All the diamonds we offer are checked by the IJGC to determine if they are natural or synthetic, and all the diamonds in this jewel are guaranteed to be 100% natural.

Birthstones
Diamond is the birthstone (or monthly stone) for the month of April.
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Characteristics
No hallmark.
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Dimensions
upper band width of the ring 0.90 cm (0.35 inch)
see the picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches

Weight
3.30 grams (2.12 dwt)

Continental EU ring size: 53 and 17, USA size: 6¼, UK size: M

Resizing
Free resizing (only for extreme resizing do we have to charge).
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