Wide Band Tourmaline Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
You are likely to find exactly the wide band tourmaline ring you’re looking for on 1stDibs, as there is a broad range for sale. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from
gold,
white gold and
yellow gold — can elevate any look. Our collection of these items for sale includes 25 vintage editions and 103 modern creations to choose from as well. Making the right choice when shopping for a wide band tourmaline ring may mean carefully reviewing examples of this item dating from different eras — you can find an early iteration of this piece from the 19th Century and a newer version made as recently as the 21st Century, both of which have proven very popular over the years. A wide band tourmaline ring from
Kabana,
Atelier Molinari and
Steven Battelle — each of whom created a beautiful version of this treasured accessory — is worth considering. A wide band tourmaline ring of any era or style can lend versatility to your look, but a version featuring
tourmaline, from our inventory of 78, is particularly popular. See these pages for an
oval cut iteration of this accessory, while there are also
round cut cut and
mixed cut cut versions available here, too. There aren’t many items for
men if you’re seeking a wide band tourmaline ring, as most of the options available are for
women and unisex.
How Much is a Wide Band Tourmaline Ring?
Prices for a wide band tourmaline ring can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — at 1stDibs, these accessories begin at $171 and can go as high as $15,600, while this accessory, on average, fetches $1,920.
The Legacy of Tourmaline in Jewelry Design
Very few gems dazzle quite in the manner that tourmaline does — vintage and antique tourmaline jewelry is a showstopper, and you can blame this on its wide range of spectacular colors. In fact, when Dutch traders brought stones back home from Sri Lanka that they couldn't identify, they called them "toramalli," a Sinhalese term for "mixed gems."
If you could transform the ocean to a gem, this is what it would look like: a clear, translucent azure, bordering on turquoise, hypnotizing in its depth and sparkling in the sun.
There is, in fact, such a stone, although it comes from deep in the copper-rich mountains of Paraíba, Brazil, and not from the oceans along its coast. Far rarer than diamonds, Paraíba tourmaline, a kind of tourmaline discovered only in the 1980s, is treasured as much for its extraordinary color as its scarcity, both of which contribute to its high value.
While diamonds generally sell for about $6,000 per carat, a carat of Paraíba tourmaline is likely to fetch about $16,000. Fans of the gem are said to include singer Taylor Swift and actress Zooey Deschanel, as well as some of the finest jewelers.
“No other stone can have a color as magnetic and captivating as Paraíba tourmaline,” says Vania Leles of VanLeles Diamonds, who combines the stone with diamonds and other gems in several of her designs.
You don't have to stop at Paraíba tourmaline jewelry — on 1stDibs, find the most extraordinary antique and vintage tourmaline rings, tourmaline and diamond earrings and other accessories.
Finding the Right Rings for You
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.
