Large Sapphires
French Cocktail Rings
Emerald, Sapphire, Onyx
Early 2000s Swiss Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1920s Unknown Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s American Fashion Rings
Moonstone, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Turquoise, 18k Gold
1990s Band Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Art Deco Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
20th Century More Rings
Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Russian Renaissance Revival Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire
20th Century American Cocktail Rings
Garnet, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Necklace Enhancers
Pink Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s Retro Cocktail Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Late 19th Century Victorian Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Italian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Peridot, Sapphire
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Spanish Modern Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary More Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Italian Vanity Items
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Dome Rings
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Band Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s French More Jewelry
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Artisan Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire
Antique 1890s Late Victorian More Rings
Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century Wedding Rings
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Turquoise, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire
Vintage 1960s Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Multi-Strand Necklaces
Tanzanite, Sapphire, Pearl, Lapis Lazuli, Diamond, Chalcedony, Aquamarin...
20th Century American Brooches
Citrine, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s British Modern Wedding Rings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 2000s French Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Link Necklaces
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Renaissance Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s Dangle Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, Platinum, White Gold
2010s Russian Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, 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.