Forget a diamond solitaire. Today's young couples are increasingly turning to antique engagement rings to find a more distinctive way to commemorate their betrothal, says Jan Walden, founder of Charlotte-based Topazery.com.
Walden combined experience in computer programming and a lifelong love for jewelry when she launched her Web site devoted to the sale of antique jewelry, she said. She now averages 17, 000 visitors a month. Engagement rings have been among the most popular of the vintage pieces she offers. Sales of the rings have doubled in the past year, she said.
Walden combs auctions and antique jewelry sales to find her pieces and restores them with the help of an Atlanta jeweler.
Her selection includes Art Deco, Edwardian, and Victorian styles, with stones including aquamarines and sapphires and settings in gold, platinum, and palladium, a member of the platinum family popular during World War I when platinum was being used in the war effort. Many date from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Some date to the 1800s.
Walden says a surge of interest in antique jewelry among young people has is roots in the decade-long trend of rising interest in antique furniture. That has been fueled by such influences as "Antiques Roadshow" on PBS, she said.
"It's wanting to be unique and wanting something different," she said. "(The pieces) have a story and a past and a history, and I think that means a lot more."