Large Sapphires
Vintage 1980s American Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Artisan Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Aquamarine, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
American More Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary American More Necklaces
Cultured Pearl
21st Century and Contemporary More Rings
American Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Diamond
21st Century and Contemporary Link Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Artist Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Fashion Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby
2010s Stud Earrings
Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Cocktail Rings
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Italian Retro Retro Bracelets
Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Drop Necklaces
White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
American Drop Necklaces
Sapphire
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Platinum, Yel...
2010s Drop Earrings
Vintage 1980s Italian Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s American Cufflinks
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Cocktail Rings
Amethyst, Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Clip-on Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Onyx, Diamond
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Cufflinks
Sapphire, 14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Belle Époque Brooches
Sapphire, Diamond, 15k Gold, Platinum
20th Century American Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Drop Earrings
Diamond, Onyx, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Drop Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Coral, 18k Gold
2010s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s American More Jewelry
Cultured Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold
20th Century French Brooches
Diamond, Peridot, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Clip-on Earrings
Amethyst, Pink Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum, 14k Gold
Vintage 1910s American More Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum
American Brooches
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Citrine, Amethyst
Vintage 1940s American More Jewelry
Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1950s Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Stud Earrings
Amethyst, Iolite, Multi-gemstone, Peridot, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yell...
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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.