1940's French 'Tank' Ring

Vintage French Heavy 18K Gold and Platinum Diamond Signet Ring

An impressive, heavy signet ring set with a 0.6ct antique old cut diamond, circa 1940.

This iconic design is known as a ‘tank chevalière’ ring and gets its name from the wartime period in which it was made. During the 1940’s, there were great difficulties in sourcing precious metals which caused their price to skyrocket. This gave birth to big, heavy French ‘tank’ jewellery, named as such due to the massive, cubic ring shape resembling the military tanks occupying France. These rings were often made with gold supplied by the customer, which the goldsmith would then melt down (typically from antique jewellery or gold sovereign coins) and work into a single, heavy piece of jewellery. 

In these troubled times, people possessed this type of jewellery for two main reasons. For some, it was a safe haven to allow them to take their valuable belongings with them in a condensed manner, while for others, it symbolised, without modesty or discretion, a great success in business despite the difficult market.

Unlike the whiteness of Art Deco rings, tank rings are mostly yellow gold, with platinum being used to set the diamonds which were often recovered from older jewellery (in the height of the war, international trade was severely restricted, and therefore the extraction of gemstones for use in jewellery was not a priority!).

UK size M, US size 6, 17.58g 18K gold and platinum (heavy!)

Platinum bezel measures 10mm across, the face measures 11.2mm north to south and widthways 18.8mm between the two vertical cylinders. The antique diamond has excellent clarity and brilliance. The ring is in great condition despite it being around 80 years old.