M&V Vanguard Jewelry On Sale

A long, rich history of jewelry making and a love of design shared by Max Bartashnik and his late father, Viktor, is at the heart of Midtown Manhattan-based firm M&V Vanguard Jewelry. Known for its exquisite custom-made diamond engagement rings, bands, pendant necklaces, bracelets and other accessories, M&V Vanguard continues a family legacy that began in Ukraine more than 50 years ago.

Following many years of training in design and jewelry making in his native Ukraine, Viktor established himself as a master craftsman of diamond jewelry. From an early age, Max displayed a keen interest in the art of jewelry design and apprenticed under his father until they moved to the United States.   

After they arrived in New York City, Max continued to hone the skills he learned in his father’s workshop and secured a job with iconic American luxury house Tiffany & Co. He left a bit more than five years later, and his next move was to establish his own firm alongside his father, designing and creating jewelry from a booth on 47th Street in New York City’s Diamond District in 2002.

Later, Viktor and Max decided to grow their fledgling business. In 2015, M&V Vanguard Jewelry expanded — they opened a manufactory at Rockefeller Center. The duo enlisted the support of a team of jewelers and setters to design and produce modernist and Art Deco-inspired cocktail rings, three-stone rings, drop earrings and other pieces that feature colored diamonds, rubies and emeralds set in 18-karat gold and platinum.

When Viktor died in 2020, Max broadened operations at M&V so that the company’s areas of specialty now include design, manufacturing, retail, and importantly, the family-owned business has implemented an education program — a plan that Viktor and Max had put together when the company initially began to expand. Budding jewelers can now look to M&V for training in their field, just as Max learned the art of jewelry making from his father years ago. 

Find M&V Vanguard Jewelry rings, earrings and necklaces on 1stDibs.

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.