16 Carat Sapphire
Vintage 1950s French Brooches
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drop Earrings
White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Peridot, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Plat...
Vintage 1980s New Zealand Rope Necklaces
Aquamarine, Pearl, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Unknown Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Citrine, Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown More Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Link Bracelets
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s German Bangles
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Italian Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s North American Art Deco Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Link Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern More Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Italian Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Moonstone, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1910s American Art Deco Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Unknown More Jewelry
Vintage 1950s French Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Moonstone, Yellow Sapphire, Diamond, Multi-gemstone, Sapphire, 18k Gold,...
2010s Israeli Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Israeli Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Israeli Cluster Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique Early 1900s British Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Opal, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sap...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Moonstone, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Wedding Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Morganite, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphi...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Black Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1970s Modernist Stud Earrings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
1990s Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold
Early 2000s Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Topaz, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Tennis Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Greek Classical Greek Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Belle Époque Cocktail Rings
Opal, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Blue Topaz, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Charm Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Enamel
2010s Tennis Bracelets
White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Baroque Brooches
Ruby, Topaz, 18k Gold, Gold Plate, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary European Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Platinum
Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold
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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.