The Allure of Engraving

I've written a few posts over the past several years about my collection of antique platinum wedding bands.  But what I have never really talked about is the personal engravings inside some of them.  In recent years, I have noticed that it seems harder and harder to find these bits of history with the personal engravings inside that I have always favored.  So I wondered, "Are more people collecting them for the same reasons I am?"  "Are the personally engraved rings more popular than the those without an engraving?"

So I embarked on a mission to answer those two very different questions!  And here is what I found out with some help from a few virtual friends!

This wide Platinum Band with such amazing engraving is available from Jamaica Pawn on eBay &, lucky me, is in my size!

When it comes to the engravings, apparently, I am not the only one who adores the engravings.  Kate from Heart of Solid Gold, has been collecting antique wedding bands for several years and she loves the patterned bands with the floral motifs.  The flower and leaf-patterns each have specific meanings which we can discuss in a future post.  

"Not many are engraved on the inside, but those are the ones which I love the most as you're reminded of the life the ring has already had," Kate said.

Another amazing resource is self-proclaimed "antique jewelry fanatic," is Victoria Sterling.  Victoria only buys the more unusual bands and says, "A sentimental inscription or better yet, a nice early posey ring, definitely won't stick around for long [in her shop]."

Check out this stunning 18K yellow gold Wedding Band from Victoria Sterling.  The detail work is gorgeous!

I have to agree, I would love to find a platinum posey ring and a french cut eternity band are definitely on my Jewelry Bucket List!  But then again, my list is never-ending.

After talking with Gillian at Gold Adore, I learned something that I personally found a bit troubling.  Gillian said that she has found many of her "fellow dealers [will] actually remove engravings - they feel ieces will sell faster without an engraving."  Lucky for engraving lovers like me, Gillian leaves it up to her buyers.

This 18K white gold, hand-engraved Wedding Band is available at Gold Adore & it has an inscription, "A.K-A.G. 8-25-34," to boot! 

One thing which Kate and Gillian agree on is just how truly amazing it is to have clients leave existing engravings and add their own to it.

"Such a great way to honor the vintage and really make a piece your own," Gillian says.

Kate shared a fabulous personal story about her recent wedding bands, "My husband and I had two ceremonies and I decided I wanted a band to represent each.  One is a new rose gold floral patterned band (I really wanted an antique one but the rose gold ones are impossible to find!) and an antique platinum flower and wheat engraved band - this one's engraved on the inside with two sets of initials and the date 14th Oct 1931.  There's still room on the inside so one day I hope to add our initials and date in too, keeping the original beside it.  I love stacking these two contrasting bands beneath my engagement ring."

Kate's wedding bands - rose gold & platinum - with two others from her collection.  I am seriously jealous!
A platinum wheat band had been on my Jewelry Bucket List for years!

I love this idea!  Plus, Kate's right on trend with the mix of metals and stacking bands but I love how she's done it with an antique flare!  

So what I am gathering from this discussion is that the love or desire for the original engravings is as much a very personal attraction as the for the original engravers.  But for me, I'll take an engraving every day and twice on Sundays!

This 14K yellow gold Wedding Band from Cypress Creek Vintage has an engraving dating to 1922!  It
reads, "R.K. - G. K. 8-6-22."  Can you imagine?!

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