By the 1950s, the world had started to move beyond the trauma
imposed on many different markets from World War II, including the jewelry
trade. Metals like platinum which had been scarce during the war were once
again available, and white metals including platinum and white gold became the
popular choice for 1950s engagement ring styles. This is still a popular choice
for engagement rings today because diamonds reflect better in white metals than
yellow making a lower grade diamond have the preferred appearance of a lower color. This
along with a greater access to diamonds influenced engagement ring styles in
the 50s.
Popular
1950s stylistic elements
Stylistic elements found in engagement rings from the
1950s include engravings or braid details in the setting. They also featured
progressively larger stones. One of the most popular styles
representative of the 50s were engagement rings featuring a large center
diamond nestled among symmetrical smaller diamonds or baguettes, on either side
of it. Popular cuts included round cuts, Asscher cuts, emerald Cuts and marquise
Cuts. The
diamond’s cut is what gives it the ability to reflect light.
Engagement rings of 1950s Hollywood stars
The 50s enjoyed the excitement of being a decade with its own royal
wedding when Hollywood star Grace Kelly, whose dress inspired Kate Middleton’s wedding
dress, married Prince Rainer of Monaco. She wore a 10.15 karat Cartier emerald cut
solitaire engagement ring.
 |
| Princess Grace wore 10.15 karat Cartier emerald cut ring. |
If you think that’s big, Elizabeth Taylor was given
a 29.4 karat emerald cut Cartier engagement ring by Mike Todd. But while these rings
where topics of conversation, one of the biggest engagement/wedding band trends
of the ‘50s still going on today was started by Hollywood’s Audrey Hepburn − stackable
rings. Her fiancé Mel Ferrer presented her with three rings, a baguette cut
white gold eternity band along with two wedding bands, one yellow gold and the
other rose
gold. He figured she could mix and match them to suit her mood and outfit.
Audrey Hepburn − stackable
rings
The fun thing about engagement rings of the 1950s is
that many of the ring trends popular then are still popular today. So if you’d
like to wear a vintage ring that looks current or rather buy a vintage-inspired ring, the 50s offer a nice selection with
options you’re sure to love.
