Antinori Vintage Diamond Rings

Nodding to tradition while embracing a tech-forward ethos, Antinori Fine Jewels has ascended to prominence with its collection of world-class diamonds and colored gemstones.

There is no paterfamilias shuffling in the background at the jewelry company, a 10-year-old luxury brand based in Rome that specializes in engagement rings and statement rings set with jumbo-size diamonds and colored gems of the highest order. Although all four founders — husband-and-wife duos Alessandra Antinori and Andrea Landolfi, and Alessandro Cutelli and Silvia D’Ambrosio — hail from small family jewelry businesses founded in the 1970s, Antinori Fine Jewels is an independent force. The dynamic quartet of mindsets and skill sets is united by a single goal: to take the business of making and selling high-end Italian jewels out of the past and into the present.

Before launching Antinori Fine Jewels, Alessandra Antinori — the company‘s international sales director and spokesperson — and her cofounders spent years acquiring experience in the jewelry centers of Rome.

“We have inherited from our parents the right connections with local jewelers, gemologists and artisans who still craft jewelry as they did one hundred years ago,” she tells 1stDibs.

The foursome is eager to develop and embrace any innovation that will help enrich their customers’ experience — and make the most exquisite examples of Italian jewelry readily available to a global audience.

Explore a range of rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry created by Antinori Fine Jewels on 1stDibs.

Even as jewelry trends have come and gone, antique and vintage diamond solitaire rings are a classic fashion piece. Although enduringly popular as an engagement ring style, a solitaire ring — whether it's an emerald solitaire ring, a sapphire solitaire ring or another iteration — makes a fantastic addition to any outfit with a variety of shapes and settings to explore.

Solitaire rings have a single stone setting and a minimalistic band in which pressure, bezel or prongs hold the stone in place. They have a long history in jewelry, such as an example discovered in Israel with a single amethyst that could be as old as the third century A.D.

Simple gold rings with single diamonds were prized possessions in Ancient Rome. However, it was not until the 1940s that engagement rings with a solitaire diamond setting became widely popular.

After the turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II led to a decline in diamond prices, De Beers saw an opportunity. The diamond magnate teamed up with the ad agency N.W. Ayer for the “A Diamond Is Forever” campaign. It was a sensation and cemented the solitaire diamond as the leading engagement ring. Statistics show that diamonds are the most common gemstones for engagement rings, preferred by 87 percent of people. (On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings.) 

Today, the design of solitaire rings takes many forms, and those created by Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and other internationally celebrated jewelry houses are particularly sought-after accessories. Though the single-stone setting remains the same, bands have become more detailed, with some containing other stones or even multiple diamonds. Art Deco, Art Nouveau and other art movements have influenced the design of solitaire rings over the years. However, the simplicity of this accessory remains timeless.

Browse 1stDibs for a unique selection of antique and vintage solitaire rings to accent any fashion choice.