Rare Sapphire
Early 20th Century Victorian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire , Platinum
2010s Thai Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Peridot, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold
2010s American Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century American Modern Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Padparadscha Sapphire , Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Israeli Cluster Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s American Retro Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum, 18k Gold
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Padparadscha Sapphire , 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Modern Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Rubelite, Tourmaline, Gold, 18k G...
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Brooches
Diamond, South Sea Pearl, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s American Modern Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Thai Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British More Jewelry
Sapphire
2010s Indian Contemporary Modern Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, White Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Brown Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, White Gold
Early 2000s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, Rose Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Art Deco Loose Gemstones
Aquamarine, Sapphire, Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Natural Pearl, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Modernist Band Rings
Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Singaporean Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Unknown Retro Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s European Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Sapphire, Gold, Yellow Gold, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
2010s Italian Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Indian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Tourmaline, Paraiba, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
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Rare Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Rare 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.
- Is a star sapphire rare?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMarch 31, 2023Yes, a star sapphire is rarer than other types of sapphires. The gemstones get their name from the natural starburst effect that appears on their faces when you view them under a single overhead light. On 1stDibs, shop a range of star sapphire gemstone jewelry.
- Are purple star sapphires rare?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2023Yes, natural purple star sapphires are rarer than sapphires of other colors like blue. Natural purple star sapphires come in a variety of hues from light lavender to deep violet. Sapphires can even be colorless, or white, although examples are very rare, since the corundum from which they are formed has to have been untouched by any other element. Non-blue colored sapphires are referred to as “fancy sapphires” and can be pink, purple, orange, yellow or green. Shop a collection of vintage and modern sapphire jewelry from some of the world’s top jewelers on 1stDibs.