Ceylon Emerald
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, ...
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Israeli Art Deco Wedding Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Indian Stud Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Pink Sapphire, Gold
2010s Indian Modern Stud Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Aquamarine, White Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, ...
2010s American Contemporary Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Unknown Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s French Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Argentine Art Deco Fashion Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold
Italian Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Indian Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1930s American Link Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Antique 18th Century Unknown Early Victorian Link Bracelets
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Beryl, Emerald, Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Morganite, O...
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire
20th Century Unknown Modern Engagement Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Artisan Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Drop Earrings
Emerald, Opal, Sapphire, Tanzanite, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Edwardian Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
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Ceylon Emerald For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Ceylon Emerald?
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.
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Colorful Gemstones Are a Brilliant Choice for Engagement Rings
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Our Guide to Fancy-Colored Diamond Engagement Rings
Accounting for just 1 percent of all diamonds, these marvels of nature are exceedingly rare and gorgeously complex.
Our Guide to Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco Engagement Rings
Learn about these antique jewelry styles, then choose a design that speaks to you.