Coveted pieces of jewelry have been crafted, sported and bequeathed through ages in history. While some came from royal clans, others were passed between generations of clans who come from money. Today, the wealth of vintage jewelry we have most fortunately acquired from the bygone eras are things to treasure. They bear the antiquity of the past and the craftsmanship that once was. If you are a collector of vintage ornaments, then you must know that there are some eras that presented us with aesthetically overwhelming jewels than others. Here are the eras from where rarest of vintage rings come from.
Ancient Greece: By today’s standards, the instruments available to the goldsmiths and jewelers of Ancient Greece were crude and lacked sophistication. However, very interestingly, with the use of such rudimentary tools, these craftsmen have been able to etch out some of the finest rings in history themed on artistically critical stories of mythologies. Rings from this era were curved in gold silver, bronze and even iron.
Ancient Rome: The story of ancient Rome is no different. Artists exhibiting, creating brilliance curved rings in precious and semi-precious metals that are stunners, in simple words. Roman gods and goddesses, war heroes, etc. were the themes of the ornaments of that time.
Byzantine Era: This era saw blossoming of styles and themes. Influences from Mediterranean Europe, Mesopotamia and Egypt, North Africa, Portugal and Spain whipped up an interesting range of diversity in the designs of this age. Granulation, curves, lacey filigrees, etc., are some of the dominant techniques that emerged from this time forth.
The Age of the Tudors: The Tudors were infamously promiscuous, but that didn’t get in the way of the artistic evolvement of the era. Tudor rings are some of the most heavily decorated pieces. It was also in this age that the people first saw table-cut diamonds, detailed engravings and precise enameling.
The Era of the Saxons and Vikings: Wealth spilled from the age of Vikings, and much of that is richly featured with motives that were never seen in jewelry, like spirals, braids, twisted chevrons, knots, etc. Much of these effects were fashioned from single metal strands, a technique that pitted them to the forefront of the trade.
Medieval Period: The Medieval Period in history saw the rise of rich gold tones contrasted with vibrant gemstones. Seal rings were also a product of this era.
