By 
We’re back for the final week of Cosmopolitan’s Engagement Ring Month, this time with a step-by-step guide to putting a new spin on an old diamond. Whether you’re the lucky owner of a few unCUHT JAHMS loose gems that have been passed down for generations or you’re on the hunt for an unusual Victorian-era piece of jewelry from an antique seller, there are so many cool and modern ways to incorporate a vintage stone into a contemporary design.
But the process of starting from scratch (or with Grandma’s dusty art deco diamond bracelet) can be both intimidating and overwhelming, especially if you’re dealing with heirloom pieces that have sentimental value. Because we like to think of ourselves as your engagement ring fairy godmothers (just go with it), we’ve enlisted the help of some experts to teach you how to get your old-school sparkle on in 2022.
Get your inspo ready to go.
Instagram and Pinterest are great places to look for inspiration, suggests Andria Rogers, owner of V. Barboné, a New York–based jeweler specializing in vintage engagement rings. “[Antique] designs are really different from what you’re used to seeing at Tiffany’s, Harry Winston, or even your local jeweler,” so you’ll want to get a feel ASAP for the type of vintage setting or stone you like. You may fall in love with an Edwardian ring, which has intricate metalwork, or something more art deco, which tends to feature “really chic geometric lines,” Rogers says.
Find a jeweler you can trust who has experience working with antique and heirloom stones.
Before you even start looking at potential stones, do your homework and find a jeweler in your area who specializes in antique rings and resetting heirloom diamonds. Word-of-mouth referrals from friends and family are your best bet. “Ask if they’ve previously done reset projects and how their process works,” recommends Rachael Bennett, founder and creative director of Hine Fine Jewelry, an antique-jewelry design company in Brooklyn. “Ask to see photos and point out examples of styles you like.”
This step is especially important if you’re working with precious family heirlooms. “Jewelry isn’t indestructible and things can happen,” warns Bennett. “So it’s really important to work with someone who is going to be honest and will do whatever it takes to take care of your stone.”
And if you have your heart set on a vintage ring, search for a jeweler who has a lot of different options from many different eras—in other words, find a person who really knows antiques. “A lot of local jewelry shops will have an ‘estate section’ and have 5 to 10 options,” explains Rogers, “but the more options someone has, the more educated they are and the better chance you have of finding that one-of-a-kind antique piece that fits your style.”
Yes, even “old” diamonds need to be insured and appraised.
Oftentimes, vintage jewelry is tucked away in someone’s dresser until they have a reason to wear or reset it. If the piece has been collecting cobwebs and hasn’t ever been insured or appraised to determine its value, ask your jeweler to do that before you discuss any further details, says Jordan Klein, a jewelry designer and diamond expert in New York City. “Just because you inherited it and didn’t buy it doesn’t mean it doesn’t need to be insured.” The bottom line: If anything happens to the piece while it’s in your jeweler’s hands, you want to be covered.
Learn the lingo.
If you’re purchasing a vintage stone, ask the jeweler super-specific questions to make sure you’re getting a high-quality gem. “Always ask to see the GIA report,” insists Bennett. GIA report = diamond-speak for all the info about what’s “going on in the stone, including the cut, color, clarity, and carat size,” she says. This will help you determine if the stone is “structurally safe, meaning no chips or cracks or surface-reaching inclusions.”
Design around the stone.
Let the diamond be your guide when you’re creating the setting. “Older stones have an amazing personality of their own,” says Bennett. “I like to use minimal settings that let the stones speak for themselves.”
You’ll also want to make sure that your jeweler is crafting a custom setting, notes Klein. “With old stones, it has to be custom with your measurements plugged in. If it’s not custom, it could damage the setting or the prongs or just look off on your hand. You want it to fit perfectly.”
If you know exactly how you want to repurpose your great-aunt’s diamond, bring those inspo pics to your jeweler so they can get it right. Klein will often design settings via CAD, a computer program that helps with renderings, and then send clients pictures of what the finished ring will look like before it’s set in—heh—stone.
Have realistic expectations about antique rings.
If you’re looking for a particular antique ring that you saw at an online auction five years ago, chances are that it’s no longer available and you’re going to have a damn-near-impossible time finding a replica, cautions Rogers. “Be open to something else that could be your dream ring,” she says. That includes finding an antique diamond and then asking your jeweler to make a new custom setting that makes the whole ring look and feel like an antique. “It’ll never be the same as the antique piece, but it can sometimes get closer to what you wanted than just finding another vintage piece.”
To be clear, you alone don’t have to spend your weekends wandering into creaky forgotten shops until you stumble upon that perfect two-carat old European cut (see? The homework comes in handy). No, as long as you have a specific vision, a well-regarded vintage jeweler can help you source the diamond and design a setting that works with your specific stone.
Don’t expect to spend less on vintage diamonds than you would on new diamonds.
Sorry, babe, just because a vintage diamond is, well, old doesn’t mean it’s going to be cheaper than buying a brand-new stone. “There’s finite supply, and there’s really increased demand,” Rogers explains. “Even the modern jewelers are now looking for antique diamonds because there’s so much demand for them.”
When determining the price tag, jewelers often consider how rare that specific diamond’s cut and shape are. For example, old mine-cut diamonds are super popular right now, according to Rogers. “They’re in such high demand and very hard to find.” She estimates their prices have gone up 20 percent in the past year.
But if you’re only resetting an old stone, you and your bank account will love the price.
Resetting a diamond you already own is a meaningful way to cut down on costs (psst—we made a whole engagement ring budget guide right here, btw). A new setting might put you out only a couple hundred dollars, although your bill will creep up into the thousands if you’re adding additional stones, says Klein.
No matter the price, using a vintage stone will ensure that the sparkle on your finger is totally unique—one of the main reasons heirloom rings are so popular, says Rogers. “Living in a mass-made era, I appreciate things that people really took time with,” she says. “We all like to be a little different.”
Jessica Goodman is the New York Times bestselling author of young adult thrillers They Wish they Were Us, They’ll Never Catch Us, and The Counselors. She is the former op-ed editor at Cosmopolitan magazine, and was part of the 2017 team that won a National Magazine Award in personal service. She has also held editorial positions at Entertainment Weekly and HuffPost, and her work has been published in outlets like Glamour, Condé Nast Traveler, Elle, and Marie Claire.
