Ring Styles from The Great Gatsby: Daisy Buchanan Engagement Ring Inspirations 

Did you happen to spot the stunning diamond ring poised elegantly on Daisy Buchanan’s ring finger in The Great Gatsby? The beautiful cushion cut center surrounded in a halo of diamonds has certainly captured the attention of many. The influential attributes of the roaring twenties was portrayed in a lavish display of platinum and diamonds in Daisy’s engagement ring.

carey-mulligan-great-gatsby-dancing-300x225 Unique Engagement Rings
Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby follows a cast of characters during the summer of 1922 in a prosperous town located on Long Island. The setting of the story was at the cusp of the Art Deco period where society embraced symmetry and bold geometric shapes. This portrayal of the American Dream depicts the transformational shift in culture of economic prosperity and exuberance.

Daisy’s glamorous ring showcases a cushion cut diamond which captures the timelessness of an old mine cut and the sophistication of a modern round brilliant. An old mine cut has an unmistakable vintage appeal with individual hand cut facets and a proportionate shape to its original rough form. The modified square shape of a cushion cut combines the essence of a bygone era with the sophistication of modern technology. The cushion cut is a contemporary diamond shape that embraces the romantic allure in one of the first diamond cuts in history.

2271_3_image Unique Engagement Rings
A Beautiful 2.20 ct Cushion Cut Diamond

The Great Gatsby story paints a picture of an American ideal where freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and social mobility. Luxurious parties, expensive cars and platinum jewelry were a symbol of wealth and success. Daisy’s elegant platinum band was a statement of high societal standing.

This classic look was featured in a beautiful U-cut style setting. U-cut is hand created pave where each prong is cut out by hand and the metal area around the prong. The U-shape pattern is formed when a jeweler carves the metal where the diamond is placed. This design technique allows diamonds to be set closer together, giving the ring more sparkle.

The U-cut method can only be crafted in platinum due to the metals superior strength. With platinum’s durability, less metal is needed to give the appearance of an endless row of diamonds. With less metal covering the diamonds, Daisy’s ring glimmers from across the room a t every angle.

2393_1_image1 Unique Engagement Rings
Knox Jeweler's Sarah Ann: Platinum U-Cut

To complete the historical look, Daisy wore a matching U-cut wedding band with micro-pave diamonds. Pave, is a French word meaning ‘paving a street.’ Her ring was paved with smaller diamonds to showcase her cushion cut diamond.

Another way to display a cushion cut diamond in platinum is a V-cut pattern. In this approach, the jeweler forms an angle on each side of the metal where it meets at a point, forming a V-shape. Like the U-cut, this technique can only be custom created in platinum. Showing less metal from the prongs and more of the micro-pave diamonds will maximize the radiance of the ring.

2383_5_image Unique Engagement Rings
Knox Jeweler's Venita: Platinum V-Cut

The Art Deco ring by Knox Jewelers represents The Great Gatsby period stylistically with bold geometric shapes. Clipped corners of a rectangular halo compliment the sharp, symmetrical lines of the emerald cut center diamond. To portray the fashion of the Great Gatsby era, two raised rectangular accents are parallel to the center halo.

1025_1_image Unique Engagement Rings
Knox Jeweler's Art Deco: Emerald Cut Diamond

Another common jewelry style for the era, the combination of diamonds and sapphires. Sapphires add a rich blue color to emphasize the beauty of the center diamond. This velvety blue fashion statement is a chic way to enhance the white luster of platinum.

2224_2_image Unique Engagement Rings
A Knox Jeweler's Minneapolis Custom Design

At Knox, we carry an entire collection of antique inspired styles in platinum or gold. As a custom design jeweler located in Minneapolis, we can create a design with or without a halo. Add surprise diamonds around the crown of the center diamond or build a halo around the diamond shape of your choice including cushion, round, oval or princess. Wear a Great Gatsby inspired ring of a timeless era, crafted with a contemporary appeal.

Ring Metal FAQ

Ring Metal FAQ

What metal type do you recommend?

We always recommend our 950 Platinum-Ruthenium alloy. It’s the best metal for engagement rings and wedding bands.

Platinum Pros and Cons

The most important characteristic in Platinum jewelry is Platinum’s resistance to metal loss caused by normal wear & tear. When metal is rubbed against another object, a little bit of that metal is rubbing off onto the other surface. If the metal is Platinum, the amount lost is exponentially smaller than the amount that would rub off from a gold item. This translates into Platinum rings lasting two or three times as long as a similar gold ring.

Our Platinum Alloy is the Best

Our 950 Platinum-Ruthenium blend is the best Platinum alloy for jewelry. It has the best combination of tensile strength and hardness amongst all Platinum blends. Tensile strength refers to the durability of the metal and hardness refers to the scratch resistance.

More common Platinum alloys like 950 Platinum-Iridium are softer and tend to scratch and bend almost twice as easy. Manufacturers typically use this blend because of it’s ease to cast and work with. Often times, you’ll see or hear of Platinum engagement rings that scratch very easily and/or have become bent. These are most likely made of 950 Platinum-Iridium.

Our Platinum won’t do that. We purposely use a stronger alloy so you can enjoy your rings for a lifetime.

platinum Ring Metal Info

Pros
  • Extremely Durable – Lasts a Lifetime
  • Naturally White – No Rhodium Plating
  • Denser Metal – Holds Stones Better
  • Uses 100% Precious Metal
  • Hypoallergenic – No Allergies
  • Very Inert Metal – Resists Corrosion and Weakening
Cons
  • Cost – More Expensive than White Gold

White Gold Pros and Cons

Our white gold is a blend of gold and nickel alloy. Nickel gives white gold its whitish color and helps increases the metals hardness. While nickel helps in whitening white gold, it doesn’t completely make it white. Our alloy does require Rhodium plating every six months.

We also work in 18k White Gold. This alloy has more precious gold and is a little heavier than 14k White Gold. The natural color is very comparable to 14k and does require Rhodium plating.

All of our white metal jewelry items will look virtually identical coming out of our shop. After several months of wear, a white gold ring may need to be re-plated where as a platinum ring is always white. After a decade or two, a white gold ring may require re-tipping of prongs and channels. Platinum wears away at a much lesser rate than white gold and it is not uncommon for Platinum to last a lifetime.

Pros
  • Less Expensive than Platinum
  • Very Hard to Scratch
  • Easy to Size
Cons
  • Not as Durable as Platinum
  • Not White – Requires Rhodium Plating
  • Possible Allergic Reactions
  • Negative Reactions with Chlorine

Yellow Gold Pros and Cons

We work in both 14k and 18k Yellow Gold. These alloys are softer than there white counterparts. Rings made in yellow gold are more prone to wear and tear than white metals.

Pros
  • Less Expensive than Platinum
  • Easiest to Size
Cons
  • Not as Durable as White Gold

Cost Comparison: Platinum versus White Gold

Platinum is about 1.6 times heavier than White Gold. Comparing two identical rings, one in White Gold and one in Platinum, the Platinum one is automatically 1.6 times more in price. Another factor is the much higher percentages of actual precious metal used in Platinum blends, the Platinum blend we use is 95% Platinum, compared to the typical Gold blends that are only 58% Gold (14K) or 75% Gold (18K)

Due primarily to the density of Platinum, it is much more difficult to achieve a perfectly polished finished surface. Therefore, it takes much more labor to produce a Platinum ring over an identical White Gold piece.

Platinum is at least twice as expensive and can at times be 3-4 times as expensive as a White Gold ring. The exact amount is based on many variables.

Crown and Prong Metal Type

Because Platinum is renowned for it’s durability, we highly recommend having the crown or prongs of your ring made in Platinum. This will help protect your diamonds and gemstones longer than Gold.

Platinum – The Ideal Metal

When customers ask what our metal of choice is for their engagement ring, they will always be told Platinum. Platinum has many desirable attributes that will make your ring look spectacular and last a life time.

For reference sake, we use 950 Platinum Ruthenium, which has the best combination of tensile strength (durability) and scratch resistance compared to other Platinum alloys.

Platinum is hands down the best metal to use in jewelry. It’s a very heavy, dense metal, providing a strong hold on stones and solid structural integrity. Platinum does not wear down like other precious metals. When scratched, the metal is actually displaced and pushed elsewhere on the ring, not rubbed or worn off. This characteristic puts Platinum in a class of it’s own, making it suitable for everyday wear over a lifetime and maintaining the greatest security for your gemstones.

Platinum is and will always be white. It will never yellow like white gold, which requires Rhodium plating. It will never tarnish like silver either. Platinum’s natural white color is ideal for settings, from colorless diamonds to vibrant gemstones.

Platinum is also hypoallergenic unlike common white gold alloys which contain nickel. Imagine your finance not being able to wear her ring because she’s allergic to it.

Platinum does not react with Chlorine, unlike white gold, which will corrode and discolor. Chlorine is found in pools, hot tubs, and common house cleaning chemicals.

When making a decision on the right ring, make sure you understand what it’s made of. We want your setting to last a lifetime, protecting the valuable gemstones it holds. No metal does this better then Platinum. With a platinum engagement ring, you don’t have to worry about allergic reactions, chemical breakdowns, or yellowing color. Make Platinum your metal of choice for life.