16 Carat Sapphire
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Antique 1890s Sri Lankan Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gol...
Early 20th Century Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique 1860s Russian Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold
2010s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Tourmaline, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Tourmaline, Blue Sapp...
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Morganite, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphi...
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gol...
2010s Indian Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Amethyst, Sapphire, Topaz, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Link Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Zircon, Blue Zircon, Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Diamond, Black Diamond, Sapphire, Rhodium, Silver, Silver Plat...
2010s American Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1960s French More Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold, Gold
2010s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Artist Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White G...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Topaz, ...
Vintage 1960s French Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1910s French Edwardian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
1990s North American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
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16 Carat Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 16 Carat Sapphire?
The Legacy of Sapphire in Jewelry Design
On 1stDibs, shop the bright blue gems that star in sapphire rings, sapphire necklaces and other vintage and antique sapphire jewelry.
Sapphires — the stone of choice for Napoleon, Princess Diana and Elizabeth Taylor — have been a favorite of aristocrats and the well-to-do since the time of the Ancient Greeks.
Picture a sapphire. If the stone you conjure is a deep cornflower blue, you’re seeing only part of the picture. Although blue Kashmirs are considered the most valuable, sapphires come in every color except red. No matter the hue, this very special gem is rich in history and beloved by royals (FYI, Princess Diana and Kate Middleton share an 11-carat sapphire engagement ring), so September babies are in very noble company.
America’s version of royalty — old money and celebrities — have also shown a predilection for the blue stones. In 1940, John D. Rockefeller Jr. had Cartier mount a 62-carat sapphire he had bought from an Indian maharajah in a brooch for his first wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller; in 2001, the piece sold for a then-record of $3,031,000 at Christie’s New York.
The grand dame of jewelry, Elizabeth Taylor had a passion for the gems that her lovers were happy to indulge. Second husband Michael Wilding gave her an engagement ring set with a cabochon sapphire, while Richard Burton famously presented her with a BVLGARI sautoir set with diamonds and sapphires, including at its center a cabochon Burmese weighing 52.72 carats. One of the star lots in the sale of Taylor’s jewels at the Christie’s New York in 2011, it sold for $5,906,500.
You don’t have to have blue blood or a bulging bank account, however, to get an eyeful of this much-coveted gem. A number of outstanding examples reside in public collections.
The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History owns the 423-carat Logan sapphire, a gift from the Guggenheim family, and the Hall sapphire and diamond necklace, designed by Harry Winston and featuring 36 fine, well-matched cushion-cut Sri Lankan sapphires weighing a combined 195 carats. Also in the collection is the Bismarck sapphire necklace, designed by Cartier and sporting a central sapphire weighing 98.6 carats, which Mona Von Bismarck donated to the museum.
Sapphires are composed of corundum. Their color derives from trace elements, such as iron, titanium, chromium, copper or magnesium. When the trace element produces a ruby hue, the stone is called, what else, a ruby. (which is, as mentioned above, why sapphires cannot be red by definition).
The allure of large gemstones endures throughout the periods characterized as vintage, and sapphire features frequently in vintage engagement rings. (On 1stDibs, a range of buying guides can be found for those in the market for antique engagement rings, vintage engagement rings or Art Deco engagement rings.)
Find an exquisite collection of vintage and antique sapphire jewelry on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The highest carat sapphire to ever be discovered is the Blue Giant of the Orient, as of January 2022. It weighs 486.52 carats and originated from a mine in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. On 1stDibs, shop a large selection of sapphire gemstone jewelry.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 22, 2021A standard size of a round sapphire is 6mm which is approximately one carat, making 7mm sapphires just slightly larger than a carat. Because sapphires are heavier than diamonds, a one carat sapphire is slightly smaller than a one carat diamond.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023How much a 1-carat natural sapphire is worth depends on its color, cut and quality. Sapphires can range in value from $25 to thousands of dollars per carat. A certified appraiser or knowledgeable jewelry expert can examine a particular gemstone piece and give you an estimate of its value. On 1stDibs, find a collection of sapphire gemstone jewelry.