50s Retro Cocktail Ring
1950s Unknown 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Ruby, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
1960s American Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Multi-gemstone, 14k Gold
1990s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
14k Gold, Sterling Silver
1950s American Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Tiger's Eye, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Onyx, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Gold, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Peridot, Gold, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1970s American Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Chalcedony, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Amethyst, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s Belgian Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Amethyst, Citrine, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold, 18k Gold
1970s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
1950s European Mid-Century Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Wood
People Also Browsed
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary French 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
2010s French Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1930s Swiss Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Crystal, Mixed Metal, White Gold, Stainless Steel, 18k Gold, Platinum
1960s French Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
1940s American Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Ruby, 14k Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1920s English 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
1920s French Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Platinum
2010s English Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Recent Sales
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Citrine, Gold, 18k Gold
1950s Italian Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Black Pearl, Platinum
1980s Italian 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Amethyst, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Platinum
1950s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, White Gold
1950s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1970s French Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
1950s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
1970s French Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Swiss 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Ruby, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s Finnish Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Sterling Silver
1970s French 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Lapis Lazuli, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s French 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond
1950s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Turquoise, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, White Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Artisan 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, Onyx, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s Unknown Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s Unknown 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1970s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Peridot, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Art Deco 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Opal, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Tourmaline, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Coral, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1950s American Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Opal, Sterling Silver
1950s Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Emerald, Platinum
1950s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
White Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold, White Gold
1950s French Modernist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Emerald, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
1960s Swedish Modern 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
1970s French Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Aquamarine, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1960s French Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Beryl, 14k Gold
1970s Dutch Brutalist 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Steel
1950s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Gold Plate
1970s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Tourmaline, 18k Gold
1970s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
1960s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Onyx, Peridot, 18k Gold
1980s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Coral, Onyx, 18k Gold
1960s 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise
1960s Unknown Post-War 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Coral, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
1950s Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1950s French 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
1960s Unknown Retro 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Citrine, 18k Gold
1960s French 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Rock Crystal, Ruby, 18k Gold
1980s American 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
1950s Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Moonstone, 14k Gold
1950s Contemporary 50s Retro Cocktail Ring
Diamond, Ruby, Platinum
50s Retro Cocktail Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 50s Retro Cocktail Ring?
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.
Read More
Our Guide to Engagement Ring Settings – And How to Choose One
There are many ways to showcase a diamond, from traditional prongs to a smooth, streamlined bezel. Here’s everything you need to consider.
Nothing Says Summer Heat Like This Ruby-Red Cartier Stunner
The vintage bombé ring is bursting with color and timeless style.
Zircon Rings: Our Guide to a Uniquely Colorful Natural Gemstone
Zircon is a magnificent and underrated natural gemstone that has been worn and adored for centuries.
[Survey] Two-Thirds of Jewelry Gift Recipients Don’t Want to Be Surprised
Givers of fine gems enjoy surprise more than receivers, and women more than men. Find out what else our survey of 3,000 Americans revealed.
Colorful Gemstones Are a Brilliant Choice for Engagement Rings
If diamonds don’t seem right, what about a magnificent sapphire, ruby or emerald?
Our Guide to Fancy-Colored Diamond Engagement Rings
Accounting for just 1 percent of all diamonds, these marvels of nature are exceedingly rare and gorgeously complex.
Our Guide to Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco Engagement Rings
Learn about these antique jewelry styles, then choose a design that speaks to you.
Talking Diamonds with the Jeweler Behind J. Lo’s Engagement Ring
Alon Ruschin, of Vivid Diamonds & Jewelry, channels his passion for gems into helping clients find just the right ring.