1940 Art Deco Cocktail Ring
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Peridot, Sapphire, Gold, 10k Gold
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Star Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century British Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Danish Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Topaz, Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Platinum
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Pearl, Ruby, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
White Gold
Vintage 1940s European Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s British Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s German Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Cocktail Rings
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Hungarian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Spinel, Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Spinel, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Pearl, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Cocktail Rings
Star Ruby, Ruby, Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Tiger's Eye, Gold, 10k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Ruby, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Brown Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1930s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Rose Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Portuguese Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1940s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
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1940 Art Deco Cocktail Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 1940 Art Deco Cocktail Ring?
A Close Look at art-deco Jewelry
Fascination with the Jazz Age is endless, and even today jewelry designers continue to be inspired by authentic Art Deco jewelry and watches.
The Art Deco period, encompassing the 1920s and ’30s, ushered in a very distinct look in the design of jewelry. There were many influences on the jewelry of the era that actually began to take shape prior to the 1920s. In 1909, Serge Diaghilev brought the Ballet Russes to Paris, and women went wild for the company’s exotic and vibrant costumes It’s no wonder, then, that jade, lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise and other bright gemstones became all the rage. There already existed a fascination with the East, particularly China and Japan, and motifs consisting of fans and masks started to show up in Art Deco jewelry.
However, the event that had the greatest influence on Deco was the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922. When the world saw what was hidden in Tut’s burial chamber, it sent just about everyone into a frenzy. Pierre Cartier wrote in 1923 that “the discovery of the tomb will bring some sweeping changes in fashion jewelry.” And he couldn’t have been more right. “Egyptomania” left an indelible mark on all of the major jewelry houses, from Cartier to Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Georges Fouquet. (Cartier created some of the most iconic jewelry designs that defined this era.)
While a lot of Art Deco jewelry was black and white — the black coming from the use of onyx or black enamel and the white from rock crystal and diamonds — there is plenty of color in jewelry of the era. A perfect accent to diamonds in platinum settings were blue sapphires, emeralds and rubies, and these stones were also used in combination with each other.
Many designers employed coral, jade and lapis lazuli, too. In fact, some of the most important avant-garde jewelers of the period, like Jean Després and Jean Fouquet (son of Georges), would combine white gold with ebony and malachite for a jolt of color.
A lot of the jewelry produced during this time nodded to current fashion trends, and women often accessorized their accessories. The cloche hat was often accented with geometric diamond brooches or double-clip brooches. Backless evening dresses looked fabulous with sautoir necklaces, and long pearl necklaces that ended with tassels, popular during the Edwardian period, were favored by women everywhere, including Coco Chanel.
Find unique Art Deco necklaces, earrings, bracelets and other jewelry on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right cocktail-rings for You
A flashy symbol of wealth during the early 20th century, antique and vintage cocktail rings have gained broader appeal in the decades since for the hefty dose of glamour they bring to any ensemble.
Cocktail rings earned their name for their frequent appearances during glitzy cocktail parties at the height of the Prohibition era. Back then, these accessories were seen not only as statement pieces but as statements in and of themselves. They openly represented a sense of freedom and independence as well as a demonstration of opulence. After all, the 1920s heralded the Harlem Renaissance and Art Deco design, and a slew of social and cultural shifts meant that women in particular were breaking from pre–World War I conventions and embracing newfound freedoms to express themselves as individuals.
Women expressly wore cocktail rings on the fingers of their right hand versus the left, which was “reserved” for an engagement ring or wedding band, accessories definitely paid for by a suitor. And for cocktail rings, the bigger the colored gem at the center — which is usually mounted in a high setting — and the more elaborate the design, the stronger the likelihood of being noticed.
Cocktail rings remained a popular piece of jewelry for women until the 1930s, when the Great Depression and the onset of war marked a change in behaviors nationwide. While the 1960s and ’70s saw a return in visibility for the accessory, it wasn’t until the 1980s that cocktail rings once again assumed their position as a beacon of luxury and glitz.
During the 20th century, the range of dazzling cocktail rings seems to have been limitless, from glimmering gold rings set with carved jade diamonds designed by David Webb to Pomellato’s pink quartz confections to striking Gucci butterfly rings with accent diamonds set in a pavé fashion.
So, how do you wear a cocktail ring? Cocktail rings “can be worn for almost anything — dinners, date nights, parties, special events, on the red carpet,” explains David Joseph of New York-based jewelry brand Bochic.
Can you wear cocktail rings with other rings? “In my opinion, cocktail rings should stand on their own since they showcase a large gem in the center,” says Joseph.
These glamorous jewels can be worn inside or outside crowded taverns, in either daytime or nighttime with casual or dressy attire. On 1stDibs, find a wide variety of antique and vintage cocktail rings, including those offered by Chanel, whose elegant cocktail rings often feature pearls and, of course, diamonds, and sometimes were styled after showy flowers like the camellia, and Van Cleef & Arpels, whose detailed and intricate designs are viewed as miniature pieces of wearable art.
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