Burmese Sapphire
Mid-20th Century Unknown Art Deco Drop Earrings
Chalcedony, Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Chandelier Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s Chain Bracelets
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s European Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
20th Century Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
20th Century Baroque Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary More Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century American Late Victorian Dome Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s More Rings
Black Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s European Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
Antique 19th Century French Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s American Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Asian Artisan Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Bridal Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century European Modernist Dome Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Modernist Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Jade, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Modern Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Artisan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Modern Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Band Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Aesthetic Movement Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique 1860s Victorian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
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Burmese Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Burmese 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.