Collecting
The tinkle of glasses, the pop of a cork, the sparkle of Champagne and the gleam of a gemstone ring glittering on an elegant hand… If you wear vintage jewellery, you too can channel this glamorous vibe - reminiscent of the decadent parties described in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby, set in the Jazz Age when cocktail rings first emerged.
A cocktail - or ‘dress’ - ring is generally understood to be an exuberantly large, ostentatious ring, often set with a colourful precious stone in a complex design or surrounded by diamonds, but defining a ‘cocktail’ ring exactly can be a bit tricky. ‘It’s a prominent feature ring, not for everyday wear, but for a glamorous evening out,’ says Burlington Arcade antique jewellery dealer Susannah Lovis. ‘It’s a fabulouspiece. And while it doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive, it always has to have that ‘wow’ factor,’ she adds.
