HBO Max’s “The Gilded Age” ended its third season on Sunday, with a happy ending for Peggy (Denée Benton), who — spoiler alert — was proposed to on the dance floor by William (Jordan Donica) during the Kirklands’ ball. The engagement ring presented during the scene featured pearls and diamonds in a design that experts judged ahead of its time.
Set in the late 19th century, the show has often featured jewelry styles inspired by the Victorian era. Peggy’s engagement ring took a different route. The setting of her ring falls within the cluster-style family, featuring a pearl as the center stone surrounded by diamonds set in yellow gold.
“Natural Pearls, yellow gold and clusters were popular themes during this time, so these themes in the ring match the era. However, based on the gallery and the less delicate nature of the metalwork, this ring feels a bit more 1940s to me,” Andria Rogers, founder of the New York-based vintage jewelry company Andria Barboné, told WWD.
Peggy’s engagement ring from “The Gilded Age” Season Three finale episode.
HBO
According to Rogers, true Victorian pieces tend to lie closer to the finger, having a low profile, more tightly knit stones, cohesive designs and antique diamonds. Peggy’s ring, on the other hand, appears to be a more modern cut.
Lauren DeYoung, founder of Lauren DeYoung Jewelry, said the ring has more similarities with a classic cocktail ring from the 1950s than with pieces from the late 1800s. “It’s challenging to accurately identify the diamond cuts in this piece, but in an original Victorian ring, we would see old mine-cut or rose-cut diamonds,” DeYoung said.
If sold today, Penny’s ring would likely feature in a price range of $3,000 to $5,000, the jewelers said. “A ring from the 1880s would feature a natural pearl, as it predates the introduction of cultured pearls. While natural pearls are rare, the small size would not hold significant value,” DeYoung explained.
Peggy (Denée Benton) and William (Jordan Donica)
HBO
The style of Peggy’s engagement ring can please brides-to-be today. “We still see diamond cuts from this period that are very popular, including old mine-cut and rose-cut diamonds,” DeYoung said.
Other styles from the Victorian Era that are still en vogue are half-hoops, which feature three to five stones spanning across a thin finger, and Toi et Mois, which feature two gemstones side by side. “Toi et Mois has become popular again recently, but was a very common and romantic theme in the 1800s,” Rogers said.