Erstwhile Jewelry Review: The Verdict on Vintage Rings

After the antique engagement ring of your dreams?

Or perhaps you have a love of vintage jewelry?

Whether you’re after sapphire engagement rings or rings that boast single-cut diamonds, vintage jewelry brand Erstwhile Jewelry may have the perfect ring for you.

If you haven’t yet heard of this jewelry brand, don’t fret.

In this guide, we’ll give you a rundown of everything you need to know about this brand. By the time you finish reading it, you’ll know if Erstwhile Jewelry is the right jewelry brand for you.

Erstwhile Jewelry’s story spans five generations of jewelry making and vintage expertise that dates back to 1887 in Odesa, Russia (present-day Ukraine).

The brand was established in 2015 by husband and wife Jared and Alisa Klusner.

The duo harnessed their generational knowledge and skills alongside their love of one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry to bring Erstwhile Jewelry to life.

The jewelry brand offers two distinct types of jewelry: vintage jewelry and the brand’s original namesake collection, by Erstwhile.

You can purchase Erstwhile jewelry pieces on the company’s website. The brand also operates an NYC showroom where customers may try on rings and ask questions.

Erstwhile Jewelry is primarily known for stocking a wide range of one-of-a-kind, high-end vintage rings with diamond centers.

Customers can find everything from Victorian and antique Edwardian rings to art deco rings to vintage Tiffany & Co. rings, similar to its competitor EraGem.

While the brand is perhaps most well-known for its vintage engagement rings, it also offers a curated collection of vintage cocktail rings.

As each ring is one-of-a-kind, the metals and accents used vary from ring to ring. That said, you can expect rings to feature precious metals such as platinum ad 14K white gold.

In terms of accents and design details, you’ll find genuine diamonds, precious gemstones, elegant openwork, antique swirls, and floral diamond mounts.

To a lesser extent, the brand is also known for its namesake jewelry line.

People typically shop at Erstwhile Jewelry because they want to shop for vintage engagement rings and wedding rings.

After all, while many retailers offer brand new bridal jewelry, few offer vintage bridal jewelry.

Other people may be drawn to the selection of engagement rings and wedding bands in Erstwhile Jewelry’s original collection, by Erstwhile.

The rings in this collection feature conflict-free, antique-cut diamonds that have been handcrafted in the company's New York City workshop.

But it’s not just those who have an upcoming wedding who shop at Erstwhile Jewelry.

Some people choose to shop there because they want toget their hands on a high-end vintage ring that no one else will have.

Erstwhile Jewelry prides itself on being very selective about the antique rings it stocks.

The jewelers explain that they hand-pick rings based on “their quality and enduring sentimental value.”

However, the brand is very secretive about where they source their vintage rings from, only saying that they “...scour the earth for the most high quality and exquisite pieces.”

Rings with diamonds that are .50 carats or more come with a relevant certification, such as a GIA certificate, to guarantee their quality. Rings with diamonds less than .50 are certified by the brand’s in-house team.

Overall, customers seem very pleased with the quality of the pieces they purchased. The brand has a high 4.5-star rating from 47 customers on Yelp, with all reviews about the quality of the rings very positive.

For example, customers used words like “flawless,” “fabulous,” and “amazing” to describe the quality of the rings they bought.

Reviews on Facebook are also overwhelmingly positive, though no reviewers specifically mentioned the quality of the pieces they bought.

So what is our final verdict on whether this jeweler is worth buying from?

If you’re after a one-of-a-kind, high-quality vintage ring from a reputable jeweler and you have an ample budget to work with, then we say go for it!

But if your budget is modest, Erstwhile Jewelry’s prices may make your eyes water.

Vintage rings from Erstwhile Jewelry can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $70,000, while rings in the by Erstwhile collection range from around $10,000 to $20,000.

So what can you do if you love the vintage look but don’t want to spend a small fortune on a ring?

Check out our vintage-inspired rings at Blush & Bar.

You can pick up one of our beautiful, handmade rings for just a fraction of what you would pay for a vintage ring.

So if saving thousands of dollars on a ring sounds good to you, be sure to browse our gorgeous jewelry collection!