Kent Raible Green Garnet Ring

Each piece of Kent Raible jewelry showcases the master goldsmith's love for the craft. The Washington state-based designer uses ancient techniques to create exquisite 18-karat gold cocktail rings, dangle earrings and pendant necklaces. 

Raible’s contemporary accessories are set with the finest colored gemstones and feature layers of incredibly detailed granulation, a method of ornamentation common in Byzantine jewelry (and employed in Etruria as well) that sees a piece’s surface decorated with granular spheres of precious metal. Together with his wife, Lynn, Raible has grown his passion project into a thriving and recognizable brand.

Raible's first exposure to metalwork was in a high school jewelry class in the early 1970s. It sparked his interest in the material, and he would go on to spend years studying goldsmithing and design. Though Raible is largely self-taught and never apprenticed under a master goldsmith, he did seek out knowledgeable teachers to help hone his skill and traveled to Germany to study during the 1980s.

Since then, alongside establishing his studio, Raible has become a teacher himself, leading workshops at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco and the Penland School of Craft in South Carolina. He also offers self-guided online courses and in-person workshops.

Raible's work has garnered acclaim and recognition over the years. One of his masterpieces, the Floating City necklace, is part of the permanent collection at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Finished in 1996 — and partly inspired by the legend of Atlantis — the accessory took two years to make and features diamonds, tourmaline, sapphires, chalcedony and amethysts. A sculpture of Raible’s was included in “The Art of Gold” exhibition organized by the Society of North American Goldsmiths. That same sculpture won the 2015 Saul Bell Design Award competition in the Hollowware/Art Object category. 

Raible continues to offer workshops and make covetable jewelry. He is also inspiring a new generation of jewelry artists, such as Southern California-based designer Loren Nicole, who studied under Raible to learn more about gold granulation.

On 1stDibs, find Kent Raible rings, earrings, necklaces and more.

Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.

No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.

Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.

Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. 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. 

The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry. 

The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.

Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.