One of the major events of the mid-1920s was the birth of the Art Deco movement. The popularity of this movement endured for a comparatively long time until the 1940s. It was a mixture of other art and design movements including Futurism, Art Nouveau, Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism and Modernism. There was almost no area of life untouched by Art Deco, its influence being felt in the cinema, art, fashion, architecture and jewellery.
Jewellery was one of the areas most influenced by Art Deco design, including the engagement rings of the time. They would frequently use precious stones in their designs, favourites being diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and synthetic and natural rubies.
Current ring design tends to favour thinner and more delicate designs, but Art Deco designs tended to be quite large and showy, having large stones in either clusters or set individually. This made a wide band a necessity to hold the ring in the right position and to stop it turning on the wearers finger. Emerald cut stones were common, as were trillion and pear cut. It was also common to have designs which used stones to give colour contrasts.
The most commonly-used ring metals during these years were rhodium, platinum and palladium. Their silvery colour was good for displaying the colours of the different gemstones and reflected light well.
One of the more unusual but nevertheless popular designs was a ring with a stepped design. The design was intended to mimic the stepped architecture of the Chrysler Building in New York.
Plain and unfussy ring designs were less popular in this era, and large rings with geometric patterns and sharp angles were in.
Art Deco engagement rings are in fashion right now, and even celebrities have been buying them. The best places to find them are online sellers of vintage and antique engagement rings, auctions, and antiques dealers.