Vintage Belle Epoque diamond Toi & Moi engagement ring

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

Condition
- very good condition
- more info on our condition scale

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 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 United States, newly wealthy and emerging from the Panic of 1873, this comparable era was called the Gilded Age. In the United Kingdom, this era overlapped the end of what is known as the Victorian era and the period called the Edwardian era.
- more information on styles

Style specificities
- The Belle Époque (in French “Belle Époque”) is a period of European social history that began at the end of the 19th century after 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 United States, newly wealthy, after the Panic of 1873, this comparable era was called the “Gilded Age.” In the United Kingdom, this era coincided with the end of the Victorian era and the period known as the “Edwardian era.”

In the Belle Époque, cheap coal and labor contributed to the orchid craze and enabled the perfection of fruit grown under glass, while the apparatus of state dinners extended to the upper classes; champagne was perfected in the Belle Époque. Exotic feathers and furs played a more important role than ever in fashion, haute couture was invented in Paris, the center of the Belle Époque, where fashion began to evolve according to an annual cycle; in Paris, restaurants like Maxim's reached new splendor and prestige by becoming parade grounds for the wealthy, and the Opéra Garnier devoted immense spaces to staircases, similar locations for 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 carriages, exclusivity being the mark of opulent luxury. The bohemian lifestyle acquired a different glamour, practiced in the cabarets of Montmartre.

Period
- circa 1909
- (events and facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era)

Source of inspiration
- Romanticism

Theme
- Ring Toi & Moi - The French call this ring shape "Toi & Moi" which means "Toi & Moi".

Material
- Two tones of precious metal, the main part being in 18-carat rose gold and the white parts are either in white gold or in platinum. (tested with a touchstone)
- (more info about precious metals)

Additional information
- Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April and, in addition to being the most popular gemstone 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 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 acquired its unique status as the ultimate gift of love. It was said that Cupid's arrows were tipped 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 why 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
- Two old brilliant-cut diamonds weighing approximately ± 0.71ct.
- One old European-cut diamond weighing approximately ± 0.04 ct.

Total number of diamonds
- 21 pieces

Total diamond weight (excluding rose cuts)
- approximately 0.74 ct. with an average color and clarity: I/J, vs/si.

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

Birthstones
- Diamond is the birthstone (or monthly stone) for the month of April.

Engraving
- inside the shank, it is written "Frank to Valerie 1 Jan 1909"

Characteristics
- no trace
- more information about hallmarks

Dimensions
- width at the top of the ring 1.80 cm (0.71 inch)
- see photo with a ruler in cm and inches

Weight
- 3.20 grams (2.06 dwt)

Continental EU ring size: 57 and 18¼, USA size: 8, UK size: P½

Resizing
- Free resizing (only for an extreme resizing do we have to charge).
- more information about ring sizes

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