I'm interested in buying an antique wedding ring. The diamond is vintage so could it be certified?

Fortunately, some vintage style diamonds are certified. The demand for these rings is apparently rising, so certifications are more common. I assume that if the diamond hasn't been preserved carefully, its quality standards might be relatively low.

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First of all, you have to distinguish between antique and vintage jewelry because they mean two different things. Antique jewelry is over 100 years old, while vintage jewelry is any jewelry that was made in the past 100 years. If it is truly an antique, the diamond most likely isn't certified, because diamonds weren't regularly certified back in the 19th century. However, you can easily have it certified or appraised if you want to know more about the diamond's quality.

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Probably not, but you can get it appraised and insured accordingly.

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Vintage diamonds can be problematic in that they usually lack any certification, or the certification they have isn't sufficiently detailed or isn't very exact. Vintage diamonds dating back to the 1900s usually weren't appraised by gemologists or diamond specialists. More often than not, these diamonds were appraised by local jewelers who lack the proper understanding and education regarding diamond attributes and appraisals. Therefore, you need to be careful when purchasing vintage diamonds or vintage diamond jewelry. Be an informed buyer, educate yourself about diamonds and their various attributes, including cut, clarity, color and carat weight. Look online for information about diamond prices and values. Also, assk the vintage store if you could inspect the diamonds beforehand, and using the knowledge you've acquired, try and detect if the diamonds have any visible inclusions, if they are scratched or damaged in any way, if the color grade is high and whether the cut is good or poor.

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