Rough Sapphire
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Dangle Earrings
Yellow Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Stud Earrings
Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary British Artisan Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Lithuanian Chain Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
2010s Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Crystal, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Pink Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Purple Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Contemporary Beaded Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Dangle Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Dangle Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s American Modern Link Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
2010s Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Crystal, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Lithuanian Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Tourmaline, Gold, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 2000s American Modern Brooches
Amethyst, Emerald, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Brooches
Diamond, Garnet, Sapphire, White Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold,...
Early 2000s Japanese Artist Brooches
Diamond, Garnet, Opal, Sapphire, Gold, Platinum
2010s Japanese Artist Brooches
Diamond, Garnet, Opal, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Asian Contemporary Stud Earrings
Yellow Sapphire, Tsavorite, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Ruby, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s Italian Artisan Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Pendant Necklaces
Spinel, Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Fashion Rings
Citrine, Yellow Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s North American Engagement Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Pendant Necklaces
Spinel, Pink Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Indian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Dangle Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Rhodium
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Fashion Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Spinel, Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Arts and Crafts Fashion Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Spinel, Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Brooches
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Japanese Artist Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Opal, Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Peridot, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s German Contemporary Figurines and Sculptures
Aquamarine
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Chrysoberyl, Ruby, Sapphire, Tsavorite, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary American Edwardian Beaded Bracelets
Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s American Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Collectible Jewelry
Tourmaline
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Modern Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Tanzanite, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Silver
- 1
Rough Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Rough 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.