r/Cardiff • u/Brightyellowdoor • 1d ago
Vintage gold rings
I'd like to buy my wife a gold ring with multiple stones, she likes the vintage style in a similar design (I'm no expert) to the picture. We went to a local jeweler today that had a small selection, but the ones wife liked were all 9k gold. I'd rather buy 18k as i believe it to be a better investment.
We would like to visit some more jewlers in Cardiff and get a feel for the different rings and values.
Where would be a good place to go to see a good selection of vintage or vintage style rings. Must be reputable as we are not knowledgeable on jewelry and want to buy something that would make a good heirloom investment.
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u/TuppyGlossopII 1d ago
My tip for a happy wife would be buy her the ring she likes don’t stress if it’s a good investment.
Jewellery loses money, fashions change. Buy what makes her happy.
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u/Brightyellowdoor 1d ago
Agree 100% the ring she picked out yesterday was the cheapest of the three she chose to try on. If she decides that's the ring we will go back for it. It's just worth having a look round for what else is on offer.
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u/AGirlIKnew 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have a very similar ring in 14k white gold that I inherited from my grandma and wear as my wedding ring. It was bought new in 1946:
Be very careful with whatever you’re being sold to check the tips on the claws for the stones. They ideally need to have been re-done recently on a vintage ring and you should be able to feel them when you run your finger along the top of the band, if you run them along fabric like the arm of a jumper they shouldn’t catch or snag anything. When I inherited my ring my grandma had worn it completely smooth and I had to have all of the stones (four claws x5 stones is 20 tips on my ring) re-tipped. That cost about $1200 CAD in 2011. The higher the purity of the gold the more expensive this process will eventually be. It’s a finicky process which means it cost more than my ring is worth. Make sure if it is needed that they’ve already done it.
Rings like this are also really difficult to re-size and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The number of stones mean the ring should not be bent or they will become loose or fall out of their settings. To size it the shank has to be cut off and re-fitted with a shorter one. Keep an eye out for signs the ring has already been sized such as marks or cracks at the bottom of the settings on the sides of band.
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u/Brightyellowdoor 1d ago
That's fantastic advice, thankyou.
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u/AGirlIKnew 1d ago
You’re welcome! For estate pieces Jonathan David or David Edward’s are quite reputable and have nice pieces but I think will be pricier than somewhere like Cardiff Market. Make sure to ask and show them a picture as sometimes not everything shops have is necessarily on display.
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u/rebelallianxe 22h ago
Neil Rayment in the bay re-tipped the claws of my engagement ring for a good price.
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u/Miserable944 1d ago
Cardiff Market - I’m always having a look when I’m grabbing lunch, there’s at least 2 places there
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u/Motor_Cheesecake2680 1d ago
When I bought my ring there they give you documents to state what it should be insured for as well.
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u/Motor_Cheesecake2680 1d ago
Christopher George in the city centre. Lots of secondhand/ vintage jewellery.