New Year is traditionally the time for proposals and engagements, and this year, with emotions heightened and relationships intensified, we’re set to see a flood of romantic proposals, followed by the ritualistic search for The Ring.

An antique engagement ring is the sustainable and responsible choice – the jewel itself and its precious components are after all the ultimate reusable luxury. Moreover an antique or vintage ring offers individuality – after all, you won’t find another one exactly the same – along with a sense of inheritance, and oodles of charm, charisma and quality of craftsmanship. It’s a ring that lives, and has a tale to tell.

In times past when sentiment was kept under wraps, the ring was a circle with no beginning or end. It represented everlasting love, hope, commitment and union.

Among the most eloquent is the true lover’s knot, signifying the indissoluble bonds of love. Cartier’s iconic Trinity ring is part of this tale, with its three entwined bands of coloured gold uniting past, present and future. Of course we’re biased at Omneque, but there’s something deeply romantic about an antique engagement ring.

At a time when all the old rules are being rewritten or plain thrown out, when jewellery is appreciated more and more as a powerful statement of personal style and values, there’s a strong move toward coloured gemstones for engagement rings. We’re thinking of hypnotic emeralds for fiery passion (in the form of a chic, sharp Art Deco ring), sapphires for constancy (an intriguing star sapphire ring), rubies for true love (as in an elegant Edwardian diamond cluster ring).

In fact, most coloured stones will do: what matters is to make the ring your own, to tell your unique story, to celebrate a relationship in your own way.

Then there’s the ring that celebrates our relationship with self. The power ring or cocktail ring is making a comeback - if it ever went away - as the emblem of female empowerment and essential element of maximalism. We no longer wait to be given a ring, even a diamond ring; buying our own diamond is about breaking the last taboo. The ring is the jewel we see and admire ourselves and for our own pleasure. It’s the jewel that illuminates us as we talk and walk, that emits a message of confidence or strength - as is the case with Cartier’s panther rings – and which reminds us of our achievements, personal or professional.

Not that you need an excuse to buy a ring you love.

Omneque’s curated and carefully vetted selection offers a wide world of possibility. On our platform, there is everything from clusters of subtle-and-seductive antique diamonds, through an Art Deco marquise-shaped diamond and moonstone ring, to a 1950s sophisticated diamond and gold stylised leaf ring by Cartier.

Or turn your eyes toward Andrew Grima’s watermelon tourmaline and heavily textured gold ring. The master designer-jeweller’s spectacular unsigned rings stands high on the finger, designed as undulating wave-like or geological layers of gold and diamonds, demonstrating the hyper-natural, organic theme that was a defining feature of the 1970s style.

Finally, you can bring the ring bang up to date by dipping into our ‘Modern Masters’ jewel-box, where you’ll find rigorously modernist constructions by Mark Nuell or dramatic, sculptural creations by Emefa Cole, one of the brightest stars in today’s jewellery scene.

It’s the best and brightest way to ‘ring’ in the New Year.

We invite you to Ringing in The New Year: We show you how to ring in the New Year with our curated selection of the most dramatic and desirable cocktail rings. Because the ring is the jewel that you can see and enjoy yourself. And because this is the year to express yourself in jewels.