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100 years of yes and 10 decades of engagement ring styles

The year was 1921, and the movies to watch were the Three Musketeers, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and The Kid starring Charlie Chaplin. New York Yankee pitcher Babe Ruth hit his 138th home run, Guccio Gucci started selling his handbags, Coco Chanel introduced Chanel No. 5, and the price of a dozen eggs was 47 cents. Long before Seattle companies like Starbucks and Amazon were famous for their customer experience, the Robbins Brothers lineage began with a single location and the desire to treat shoppers more like family than customers.

The Platinum 20s

In our first location, our passion for quality made us the must-visit spot for rings, fine jewelry, and gifts for every special occasion. In step with the times, our 1920s legacy showroom paid homage to the Edwardian and art deco styles that emerged as the era's must-have look for art and fashion. 20s-era engagement rings replaced frilly and intricate designs, featuring large center diamonds, angled lines, and platinum—lots and lots of platinum.

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Platinum Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands

Sign of the Times Art Deco was the trend for everything from architecture to cars and jewelry.

Platinum Engagement Rings and Wedding Bands

Did You Know? Hemlines and bridal hairdos shortened as flapper fashion found its footing.

The Filigree 30s

In the 1930s, brides-to-be were crazy for white gold and filigree engagement ring designs that were intricate and nothing short of stunning. As the second decade of the art deco era coincided with the Great Depression, lavish displays of luxury were discouraged. As a result, jewelers got more creative with geometric designs and multi-stone settings featuring clusters of smaller diamonds to give the illusion of more "bling" for the buck.

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RB Signature 14k White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Setting 1/5 ct. tw.
Vintage Inspired Engagement And Wedding Rings

Sign of the Times During the Great Depression, flashy jewelry was reserved only for the ultra-rich.

Vintage Inspired Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? In the 30s, both brides and grooms wore hats to their weddings.

The Rose Gold 40s

Fashion in the '40s was all about doing more with less—and engagement rings were no exception. Jewelers relied on intricate designs like leaves, flowers, bows, or hearts to amplify smaller stones. Along with Jitterbug Jazz and Swing came the popularity of softer, more romantic rose gold settings—the preferred look of the decade.

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Rose Gold Engagement And Wedding Rings

Sign of the Times Jewelers did more with less, creating romantic designs in place of larger stones.

Rose Gold Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? Wartime deployments meant weddings would be announced and held in the same week.

The Brilliant 50s

The war was over, wealth was rising, opulence was back, and Robbins Brothers' legacy stores opened in California. Fancy-cut diamonds were the preferred look, with pearls, emeralds, and brilliant-cut stones reaching a fever pitch among post-war-era Baby Boomers in need of rings.

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RB Signature 14k White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Setting 1/2 ct. tw.
Round Brilliant Cut Engagement And Wedding Rings

Sign of the Times California dreaming was in full swing—and Robbins Brothers' legacy stores headed for The Golden State.

Round Brilliant Cut Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? With marriages at an all-time high, weddings got more opulent with gloves, fancy gowns, and lavish ceremonies.

The Swanky 60s

Robbins Brothers legacy showrooms continued to expand with more store openings and an increased commitment to guests and selection company wide. Riding the wave of the 50s, and despite more bohemian tendencies, the sixties remained glamorous with fancy-shaped diamonds still at center stage. Thanks to style icons like Liz Taylor and Jackie O, emerald-cuts set in platinum were the look on everyone's list.

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Engagement Rings

Sign of the Times Although classic engagement rings were still en vogue, more adventurous women were showing-off innovative looks.

Fancy Cut Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know?Modern brides started to become more daring, bohemian, and mod in style and mindset.

The Solid Gold 70s

Robbins Brothers' expansion reached its peak in the 1970s when guests could find our legacy stores throughout Southern California. Gold bands featuring angular and geometric cut diamonds took off in popularity during the '70s, with uniqueness taking precedence over size. Free-spiritedness and fearlessness took center stage and were reflected in the era's fashion, politics, and personality.

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Suns and Roses 14k Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Setting 1/4 ct. tw.
Yellow Gold Diamond Engagement Ring And Wedding Rings

Sign of the Times The popularization of ring sets became the rage—with gold at the heart of it all.

Yellow Gold Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? Throughout the disco decade, grooms joined brides in wearing white.

The Solitaire 80s

The '80s were all about excess! From unique finishing touches and tapers to side stones and baguettes, engagement rings of the time were far from simple. Round-cut diamond solitaires and yellow-gold bands were extremely popular, but only when made more ornate. In 1981, Princess Diana's engagement ring from Prince Charles changed everything with its staggeringly popular sapphire gemstone that transformed the industry for more than a decade.

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Engagement Rings

Sign of the Times Princess Di's ring not only popularized colored stones but also lead to endless fine and faux replicas.

Solitaire Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? The goal was to get as close to Lady Di's royal style as possible on a non-royal budget.

The Fancy-Cut 90s

In 1995, Robbins Brothers became the first and only engagement-focused jewelry chain. Their timing couldn't have been better with the rise of even bigger stones and more fancy-shaped diamonds like pears, ovals, emeralds, marquises, and radiant-cuts. Engagement rings in the 90s were increasingly diverse in style and design—after all, we had the previous century of ring styles as our inspiration.

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Poem 14k White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring 1 1/4 ct. tw.
Marquise Diamond Engagement And Wedding Rings

Sign of the Times Robbins Brothers focused on the engagement market exclusively—a novel concept at the time.

Marquise Diamond Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? Vera Wang popularized the sporty-chic look with princess ball gowns featuring dropped waists and halter-tops.

The Halo 2000s

And, here we are today, well into the 2000s, with 14 showrooms in California, Washington, Arizona, and Texas and a more profound commitment to our guests than ever before. With thousands of sparkling styles and endless hand-selected engagement diamonds to choose from—your Robbins Brothers Concierge is ready and waiting to help you find or design the perfect ring. From engagements and weddings to just because, we've celebrated joy for 100 years and will continue to do so for the next 100 years and counting.

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Poem 14k White Gold Diamond Engagement Ring

Sign of the Times The new millennia is all about the halo—the perfect way to amplify the look of any ring.

Princess Cut Engagement And Wedding Rings

Did You Know? The era of ultra-personalized and destination weddings started in the 2000s.

The Next 100 Years

The Road Ahead

We're proud of everything we've done over the past 100 years, like putting guests first (before it was the trend), hand-selecting every engagement diamond, and giving you access to in-house master jewelers in each of our showrooms. And while these things will always set us apart—we're looking forward to making the next 100 years even more innovative, service-oriented, and rewarding. Our goal is to make the process of selecting and buying a ring even more effortless while providing industry-leading transparency, assurances and promises—a tall order, but well worth it. See for yourself.

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