Engagement ring styles at the time were inspired by Cubism, Modernism and Futurism. The theme of Art Deco was geometry, bold colors, and symmetry—but in jewelry in particular, engagement rings reflected the era with a streamlined geometric look.
The engagement ring styles were also influenced by two design periods that preceded Art Deco—the Art Nouveau and the Edwardian era.
The early Art Deco engagement rings adopted some of decorative and flowery accents of Art Nouveau in sleeker designs, like this antique art nouveau engagement ring, but later replaced them with harshly geometric and symmetrical motifs.
The Edwardian style influenced Art Deco jewelry designers in the use of platinum and diamond on engagement rings, as this antique Edwardian diamond daisy ring shows. In comparison with Edwardian rings, Art Deco engagement rings were less conservative and more geometric. In its structure, the 1920s engagement rings had straight lines and distinct geometric shapes, opposed to Edwardian rings’ curved lines and nature-inspired motifs.