The hottest selling engagement ring style today is a vintage engagement ring. It’s no wonder, it seems like every star from Scarlett Johanssen to Lady Gaga has gone retro.
Why do people like vintage engagement rings?
The answer to this one is simple. The world has stepped back from the over-blinged, hard edge “how do you like me now” wedding band in favor of a softer more classic look from long ago. A time when the offering was about the sophisticated beauty of a ring that is as classic as the woman herself. In essence a vintage diamond engagement ring is the difference between a trophy wife, on display for everyone to ogle, and a forever partner who will share your most precious moments, quietly, privately and thoroughly as you grow old together in the decades ahead.
Don’t Live in NYC? View James Allen’s Complete Line
of Vintage Rings Online (≈ 40% off retail)
Over 50 Different Styles to Choose From
Vintage Engagement Rings vs. Antique Engagement Rings
What’s the difference between a vintage and an antique engagement ring? Age. Vintage engagement rings are built today, using current ring technology. Prongs are stronger, the ring is designed to take a beating and still look good. Back in the day the rings were not scientifically constructed. Yes they held the diamond pretty well but these old antique engagement rings were definitely more susceptible to dings and even diamond loss! Still…
Some people don’t just want the antique engagement ring “experience,” they want a “real” antique engagement ring. It’s as much about symbolism as it is the ring itself. If this is you, we know where you should go, just bear with us a little longer as we delve into your options to make your design choice easier (hint choice #1 below).
Most Popular Vintage Engagement Ring Styles
There are five popular styles:
- Vintage Antique Engagement Rings – These are new construction rings designed as an exact replicate of the original from back in the day. These are usually modeled after a design from a famous jeweler from yesteryear.
- Edwardian Vintage Engagement Rings – These are rings from the Edwardian Period (1901 – 1910) and get their name from King Edward VII of Britain.
- Vintage Art Deco Engagement Rings – These are Gatsby- esque designed rings reminiscent of the roaring 20s. Take a look at Daisy Buchanan’s ring for a wonderful example.
- Aquamarine Vintage Engagement Rings – These are rings that use aquamarine stones to enhance the beauty of the diamond. These are often combined with the Art Deco design to create a really spectacular piece.
- Unique Vintage Engagement Rings – These rings don’t belong to a particular era, but are undoubtedly vintage in their one of a kind classic design.
Which of the above is most popular? According to the number of searches on our site, #1 is “Vintage Art Deco Engagement Rings,” buy a factor of 2 to 1 over #2, “Unique Vintage Engagement Rings.” Why? It’s our view that this is because the Rich and Famous have gone Art Deco. Scarlett Johanssen for example has a wonderful four carat ring that highlights her classic beauty. #3 goes to “Aquamarine Vintage Engagement Rings.” This style receives ten times fewer searches than #1 and five times fewer than #2. In other words most people either want a vintage art deco ring or want to have one completely custom designed. As an FYI, Edwardian Vintage Engagement Rings were 1/30th as popular as Art Deco.
Most Popular Vintage Engagement Ring Metals
Next is the metal itself. Here is what people searched for:
#1 Vintage Rose-Gold Engagement Rings are by far the most popular – six times more popular than #2;
#2 Vintage Yellow Gold Engagement Rings are five times more popular than #3; and
#3 Platinum Vintage Engagement Rings
Bottom line. If you want to go with what most women seem to want, it’s a Vintage Art Deco Engagement Ring made with rose gold and accented with aquamarine stones around the diamond. This sounds absolutely wonderful!
Now that we’ve nailed “the what,” next is “ the where.” Where can you find your dream ring in the New York Diamond District? Fortunately we’ve done the hard work for you with our Diamond District NYC Top 10 Stores Review. We simply analyzed our “Top 10 Jewelers’ ” product offerings, looked for the three that had the greatest selection of vintage/antique engagement rings, and we were done. So without further ado, please find:
The Best Vintage Engagement Ring Stores in NYC’s Diamond District
Leigh Jay Nacht Inc.
49 W 45th St #902,
New York, NY 10036
212-719-2888
http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/
#2 I.D. Jewelry
15 West 47th Street
Suite #305
New York, NY 10036
212-921-9372
#3 MDC Diamonds NYC
580 Fifth Avenue – Suite 349
New York, NY 10036
212-840-1417
This should give you a great start. Thanks for reading our review. Good luck shopping for your own unique vintage engagement ring in the NYC Diamond District. Please make sure you do your own due diligence: ask for referrals, confirm Better Business Ratings and cross check pricing at A+ rated online diamond titan James Allen.
Don’t Live in NYC? View James Allen’s Complete Line
of Vintage Rings Online (≈ 40% off retail)
Over 50 Different Styles to Choose From
There’s a saying in the IT game. It’s called GIGO, garbage in, garbage out. While the saying is crude, rude and a little skewed, when it comes to diamond shopping tips it is still none the less, well… shrewd.
The premise is that if you start with bad inputs upfront, there is no way, no matter how hard you try, to have a good output on the back end. The same can be said for buying a diamond. Whether you’re going to the Diamond District, NYC or shopping for Online Diamonds, the quality and cost of diamonds are often very little to do with one another.
Let’s start with a basic truth – 71% of the cost of a retail diamond is markup. This data comes from the well respected consulting firm Bain and Company.
For most people their first thought is holy s***! Not so fast partner, when you buy a cup, handsaw, tie or just about anything, the item’s price is often doubled and then doubled again before you buy it. First the manufacturer sells it to the wholesaler for say $1. The wholesaler, who needs to make a profit, sells it to the retailer for $2 and the retailer who needs to make a profit, sells it to you for $4. In other words, the finished product had a 75% markup, so don’t get too upset, because wholesalers and retail stores have to pay for rent, salespeople, interest on loans, etc.
Know The Wholesale Diamond Price Before You Go. Visit:
JAMES ALLEN – Jewelers.NYC’s Online Discount Diamond Store of the Year – 2017 (~40% off)
Most Popular: Round>GIA>Ideal Cut>VS2 Clarity> G Color> One Click
1/2 Carat | 3/4 Carat | 1 Carat | 1-1/2 Carat | 2 Carat | 2-1/2 Carat | 3 Carat
The same is true in the diamond trade. Diamond manufacturer’s sell the finished product to wholesalers who put it through the channel and it comes out the other end at Tiffany, Zale, etc – with about a 71% markup. It’s not quite as linear in the diamond game, because there are “several middlemen,” (see info graph on the right) with the last one being the diamond district jeweler. Their breakeven is not 25% of the retail price, it’s closer to 50% +/-.
Knowing this upfront will help you play the game…
So the reason anyone buys a diamond in the New York Diamond District is to avoid (or reduce) the markup from wholesaler to retailer. It’s no more difficult than that. The New York Diamond District IS the middleman and online diamond stores (like James Allen, our #1 rated online diamond store for 2016) are somewhere in between, because they have no major overhead to speak of.
This is where the tug of war begins in the Diamond District. Diamond District Jewelers operate small show rooms and most don’t advertise their price. They want you to pay more and you want them to charge less. The middle ground between wholesale (50% off) and retail (0% off) is where negotiation lies.
So you need to go in with three things. 1) know who the reputable jewelers in the NYC Diamond District are; 2) know the 4C’s of the diamond you want to buy before you go; 3) know what a good price actually is;
Fortunately, we’ve done some of the hard work for you…
Diamond Advice Tip #1: Know who the reputable jewelers in the NYC Diamond District are;
This is the 24 billion dollar question… Who are the Top Jewelers in the NYC Diamond District? Let me begin with a general comment, many diamond district jewelers are hard working, fair and just trying to do the right thing while earning a living in a very secretive trade; however, there are also some that would take cash from an unsuspecting customer faster than a bank robber at Carson City National.
We can’t tell you how to find all of them, but we can tell you one of the best places to start. Start with our report, Top 10 Diamond District NYC Stores. At the time we wrote that article, each store had a Better Business Bureau Rating of A+, most had dozens and dozens of rock solid 5 star YELP ratings, and many had tens of thousands of Facebook likes. You of course need to check them out yourself; however, we believe for someone who has no other diamond expertise or references into the diamond district, these criteria are the most meaningful. BTW, less than 3% of the jewelers in the New York Diamond District met the criteria above.
Diamond Advice Tip #2: Know the 4C’s of the diamond you want to buy before you go;
This is tough for some, because they don’t actually know what to buy. They are hoping that “it will come to them” when they see it. If this is you, don’t make the Diamond District your first stop, make it your last. Go to the Mall to Zale, etc. and find one you like, then go to the Diamond District. For your reference, our research shows that the average, color, cut and clarity of purchasers of diamonds, 1 carat and higher is: GIA graded, G color, Ideal (Excellent) cut, and SI1 clarity. Here’s why this is the case:
G Color is the first grade outside of “colorless.” F is the last colorless grade, but truth be told everything except D has some color under magnification, and close examination. F and G are nearly identical in actual lack of color (to you, me and most recipients), but they are priced noticeably less.
SI1 Clarity – SI1 is the last point where inclusions (specks) are not noticeable to the naked eye. At SI2, under very close inspection, tiny specks begin to become visible.
Ideal Cut – always go for the best cut you can afford – this is not the area to skim. An ideal/excellent cut diamond reflects light brilliantly back up through the crown and gives diamonds the colorful flash that they are known for.
GIA – the most respected and consistent diamond-grading-lab in the world is GIA. They grade more diamonds than any other lab. GIA graded diamonds are also available at virtually all reputable stores in large quantities.
Diamond Advice Tip #3: Know what a good price actually is;
If the battleground is between 50% and 0% off retail, where 50% means the jeweler makes no profit and 0% means they make retail profit, you can expect to meet somewhere in the middle. However, make sure you go in armed so that you don’t actually pay retail prices. We recommend going to James Allen’s online diamond pricing page (A+ rated, about 40% off) to see what a good price really is. Click here – no login or email required.
That’s the diamond advice we have for you today. Good luck in the NYC Diamond District and thanks for reading.
JW
]]>Know The Wholesale Diamond Price Before You Go. Visit:
JAMES ALLEN – Jewelers.NYC’s Online Discount Diamond Store of the Year – 2017 (~40% off)
Most Popular: Round>GIA>Ideal Cut>VS2 Clarity> G Color> One Click
1/2 Carat | 3/4 Carat | 1 Carat | 1-1/2 Carat | 2 Carat | 2-1/2 Carat | 3 Carat
Listed below are the five steps that diamonds undergo to get from there to here!
- Rough Diamond Mining and Sales (21% of a Retail Diamond’s Cost)
- This is the cost of extracting, crushing and separating rough diamonds from filler rock.
- Cutting and Polishing (8% of a Retail Diamond’s Cost)
- This is the cost a diamond cutter charges to craft the final product we see in jewelry.
- Wholesale Markup to Jewelry Manufacturers (3% of a Retail Diamond’s Cost
- This is a “middleman” sales charge. Nothing else happens to the diamond from this point forward.
- Diamond Markup by Jewelry Manufacturers (34% of a Retail Diamond’s Cost)
- This is the jewelry maker’s markup on the diamond – it has nothing to do with the cost of the setting.
- Diamond Markup by Retail Stores (35% of a Retail Diamond’s Cost)
- This is the retail store’s markup on the diamond.
What this tells you is that the diamond that is on the average person’s finger costs 29% of the retail price paid for it to develop into a finished product. It also explains why online diamond stores like James Allen or Zoara can sell a diamond for 40% less and still make a profit!
Related:
Jewelers.NYC Online Diamond Store Reviews
Information Source: The Global Diamond Report 2013 | Bain and Company
]]>