16 Carat Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Retro Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, ...
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rhodium
20th Century Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Topaz, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Turquoise, Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, Multi-gemstone, Yellow Go...
Vintage 1950s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire,...
20th Century Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire,...
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Topaz, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Belle Époque Brooches
Opal, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Gold Plate...
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Go...
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Belle Époque Drop Earrings
Opal, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sap...
2010s American Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Belle Époque Bangles
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Si...
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Opal, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Thai Baroque Drop Necklaces
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s American Modern Wedding Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Baroque Drop Necklaces
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
2010s American Modern Wedding Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Link Necklaces
Antique Late 19th Century American Late Victorian Dome Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Anglo-Indian Cocktail Rings
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
Late 20th Century Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Black Opal, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Baroque Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Sapphire, Topaz, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
2010s American Modern Fashion Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Dangle Earrings
Coral, Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Vintage 1960s Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Platinum
2010s Anglo-Indian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s British Modern Chain Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Australian Contemporary Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Turquoise, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Zircon, Blue Zircon, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Wrist Watches
Diamond, Sapphire, Stainless Steel
2010s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Art Nouveau Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Unknown Retro Drop Earrings
Emerald, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century American Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, 10k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Diamond, Rose Gold
2010s American Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1950s Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s Unknown Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
- 1
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.