Gubelin Sapphire
Vintage 1960s Unknown Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pinchbeck
21st Century and Contemporary American Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire
Antique Late 19th Century Indian Late Victorian More Jewelry
Sapphire
Vintage 1970s American Romantic Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Swiss Link Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Swiss More Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Swiss Brooches
Lapis Lazuli, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Swiss Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Swiss Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Band Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Link Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s Swiss Modernist Band Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Swiss Retro Necklace Enhancers
Sapphire, Diamond, Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Modern Chain Bracelets
Diamond, 18k Gold
20th Century German More Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s French Cufflinks
18k Gold
20th Century German More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Swiss Wrist Watches
Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s Swiss Modern Wrist Watches
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Dangle Earrings
Purple Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Swiss More Jewelry
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s German Modern Bridal Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
French Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
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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.