Large Sapphires
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s French Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Base Metal
Late 20th Century Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Israeli Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s American Drop Necklaces
2010s American Artist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 9k Gold, Silver
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, Platinum
20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Georgian More Bracelets
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Y...
Vintage 1940s American Clip-on Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Fashion Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold
Late 20th Century Italian More Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s European Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary German More Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
2010s British Edwardian Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Asian Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s American Stud Earrings
Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s American Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Hematite, Iolite, Moonstone, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Italian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Artist Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold Plate
2010s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire
2010s Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Chalcedony, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1980s Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Artist Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold Plate
2010s North American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s American Artist Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Gold Plate
21st Century and Contemporary Decorative Bowls
Iron
20th Century American Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
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Large Sapphires For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Large Sapphires?
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.