Rare Sapphire
Antique Late 19th Century British Engagement Rings
Diamond, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Italian Contemporary Link Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
20th Century Collectible Jewelry
Diamond, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Sri Lankan Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique 1880s Victorian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
Vintage 1940s Retro More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s Edwardian Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1910s Russian Art Nouveau Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century British Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
2010s Cocktail Rings
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique Early 1900s Edwardian Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
American Brooches
Diamond
Antique 1880s French Renaissance Revival Collectible Jewelry
20th Century American Collectible Jewelry
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
20th Century American Collectible Jewelry
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Trench Coats
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
2010s European Artisan Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Artisan Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, 22k Gold, Sterling Silver
2010s European Romantic Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Silver
Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Brooches
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1960s Greek Retro Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s American Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Emerald, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Victorian Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Silver
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Art Deco Drop Earrings
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1920s Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Victorian Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 10k Gold, White Gold
2010s Victorian Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, White Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Victorian Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
2010s European Art Deco Stud Earrings
Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Silver
2010s Artisan Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, 22k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire , 18k Gold, Whit...
2010s Canadian Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
Vintage 1910s Edwardian Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire , 14k Gold
20th Century European Modern Tennis Bracelets
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Spinel, 10k Gold
20th Century European Modern Tennis Bracelets
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Spinel, 10k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary European Romantic Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Spinel, Gold, 10k 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.