Gubelin Sapphire
2010s Swiss Drop Earrings
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Padparadscha Sapphire , 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Swiss Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, R...
Early 2000s American Modern Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Wrist Watches
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Band Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British More Rings
White Diamond, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Swiss Retro Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Swiss Retro Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s Swiss Dome Rings
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s Swiss Retro Brooches
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Tennis Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Swiss Retro Bracelets
Sapphire, Diamond
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Swiss Link Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Swiss Wrist Watches
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Swiss Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Band Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Link Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Link Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Modernist Bangles
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Band Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Sapphire
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s British Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s Italian Retro Retro Bracelets
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s American Belle Époque Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Retro More Rings
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Retro More Rings
White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Platinum
- 1
Gubelin Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Gubelin 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.