Do you (or someone you know and love) like new and trendy items but prefer the classic feel of vintage jewelry?

Have you been searching high and low for alternative bridal engagement rings?

The answers and solutions to both of these questions can be found in one place: Erik Runyan Jewelers. For more than 100 years, the jewelry experts at ERJ in downtown Vancouver, Washington, have been helping people just like you find precisely what they need.

When it comes to custom vintage jewelry and alternative bridal rings, the two categories can — and often do — overlap. But regardless of what it is you’re looking for, Erik Runyan Jewelers can help you find it. Or they can help you create it!

Erik Runyan Jewelers is the premier jeweler for Vancouver, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding area. It’s the place to go for expertise you can count on, new trendsetting designs, unique alternative bridal pieces, and the most exquisite collection of vintage jewelry in the region.

Contact Erik Runyan Jewelers today — not only for its vast selection and superior, standard-setting customer service but for the answer to a common jewelry-buying question: Where do I find jewelry that’s truly unique?

Custom Vintage Jewelry

How does a vintage-inspired custom-designed piece of fabulous jewelry strike you? For many people, it strikes right at the heart of the question we posed above.

If you want jewelry that’s truly unique, then custom vintage jewelry may be the way to go.

Let’s take a moment to examine the concept of vintage jewelry itself. That will provide a good background for us to then look into the creation of truly wonderful vintage-inspired custom pieces.

As we explain in our “Vintage Jewelry Guide,” there is a difference between vintage and antique. In most cases, when a jeweler refers to vintage jewelry, that means the pieces are between 50 and 100 years old. Items that are more than 100 years old are typically considered to be antique pieces.

When ‘Vintage’ Jewelry Was New

If you’re planning to create a piece of custom vintage jewelry (or custom vintage-inspired jewelry), it’s helpful to look over the styles and designs of past decades to see what you fancy.

An examination of the “Roaring Twenties” would reveal an age of relative prosperity in Western societies. With fatter wallets and increased emphasis on leisure time for many people means that the styles were glamorous, often outlandish (for the times) and “futuristic” (again, for the times).

Jumping ahead a few decades, our vintage jewelry sleuthing finds us smack dab in the midst of the cultural and social upheavals of the 1960s. Much like the 1920s, jewelry designs in the Sixties were often radical, super chic, and colorful. As we wrote in the “Vintage Jewelry Guide,” the 1960s were an era of “vibrant, fruity colors” and “delicate, cascading chains attached to shining metal collars.” There was also an emphasis on excess — including “necklaces made of enormous, funky, psychedelic blocks.”

Vintage Jewelry Designs At Erik Runyan Jewelers

No matter your dream style, Erik Runyan Jewelers can make it come true. With a selection made up of timeless and classic pieces, ERJ’s expertly curated showroom can also serve as inspiration.

And remember, when it comes to diamonds and other gems (solitaires never go out of style!), Erik Runyan Jewelers stocks only the finest stones — full of color, fire, and brilliance.

So if you’re in the market for a redesign, custom-made vintage piece, it’s time to visit ERJ.

Alternative Bridal Engagement Rings

That brings us to the second part of our explorations: the search and acquisition of an alternative bridal engagement ring, which can include many of the vintage features we’ve hinted at above — or something totally new and unexpected.

Many couples are beginning to opt for lab-grown diamonds rather than the traditional mined diamonds. With a fresh rock, couples can then personalize them by adding a wedding band from ERJ’s collection. We’ll have more to say about this emerging trend in a future installment of the Erik Runyan Jewelers blog.

Stay tuned!

Custom engagement bridal rings are a surefire way to ensure that your piece is both personal and distinctive. And before you slip it onto the ring finger of your beloved, you’ll likely have a great time in the creative process.

ERJ will work with you every step of the way — from choosing a stone and a style to the creation and long-term maintenance of your custom bridal engagement ring.

And remember, Erik Runyan Jewelers is your one-stop shop for other kinds of engagement jewelry. ERJ’s experienced and expert jewelry designers can craft one-of-a-kind rings, bracelets, earrings, and anything else you can think of!

This is where the vintage approach can come into play again, especially if the bride or groom has jewelry that’s been passed down to them from an older family member. Family heirlooms are precious, but perhaps the bride would prefer a custom design that’s built around a vintage stone setting.

Custom Bridal Engagement Rings

Erik Runyan Jewelers is a Vancouver engagement ring mainstay because of its selection and its ability to craft new pieces from old ones.

As you glide through the ERJ showroom, take a peek at the items on display. If you see something you like — or a combination of things you like — the custom jewelry design team at ERJ will make note of your preferences and then begin sketching some design ideas for you.

Over time, that initial rough sketch will become more refined. Then it’s on to a wax mold, followed by the computer-assisted (or computer-aided) design (CAD) process and, finally, the casting itself.

The process typically takes two to four weeks to finish. When it’s done, there will be a custom bridal engagement ring that is by definition unique and a reflection of your personal style.

Erik Runyan Jewelers is committed to sourcing the best bridal jewelry in the Portland and Vancouver metro areas — and to creating one-of-a-kind custom designs.

In fact, custom engagement rings and settings are an ERJ specialty!

Contact Erik Runyan Jewelers today to set up an appointment or to ask a question about the custom vintage jewelry and custom bridal engagement ring process.