Large Sapphires
Vintage 1970s French Revival Clip-on Earrings
Base Metal
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Dome Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s Unknown Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
1990s British Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, Silver
20th Century More Necklaces
Jade, Blue Sapphire
2010s Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro More Jewelry
Moonstone, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Edwardian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Art Nouveau Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Rose Gold
Italian Brooches
Jade, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Clip-on Earrings
White Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s American Brooches
Emerald, Rock Crystal, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
1990s Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s American Link Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Unknown Art Deco Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
1990s American Brooches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Brooches
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bridal Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bridal Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Israeli Art Deco Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Turquoise, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1970s Italian Cocktail Rings
Star Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1910s Unknown Art Nouveau Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire
20th Century Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Swiss Boxes and Cases
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Retro Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s Italian Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Topaz, Blue Topaz, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Dome Rings
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Sterling Silver, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century More Rings
White Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Bridal Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1980s American Contemporary Brooches
Garnet, Sapphire, Tsavorite, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Pearl, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Swedish Modern Hoop Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Charm Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s French Brooches
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
20th Century American Charm Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s German Artisan Dome Rings
Blue Sapphire, 22k Gold
Vintage 1980s Modern Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
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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.