Sapphire Beads
Vintage 1960s French Link Bracelets
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s Italian Neoclassical Table Lamps
Crystal
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1930s Unknown Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1920s Swedish Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Unknown Post-War Wrist Watches
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s Unknown Art Deco Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Tanzanite, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1920s Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Bangles
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s French Art Deco Bangles
Coral, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Diamond, Quartz, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Labradorite, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Ye...
2010s Unknown Modern Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Italian Link Necklaces
Emerald, Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1930s Engagement Rings
1920s French Hats
2010s Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Spinel, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Unknown Drop Earrings
18k Gold
European Brooches
18k Gold
1990s European Wrist Watches
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Canadian Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Emerald, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Clip-on Earrings
Beryl, Blue Sapphire, Garnet, Iolite, Peridot, Sapphire, Topaz, Tourmali...
Vintage 1930s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s American Cuff Bracelets
Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Diamond, 15k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Moonstone, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1960s French Modern Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Chrysophrase, Ruby, White Diamond, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Canadian Drop Earrings
1990s American Chandelier Earrings
21st Century and Contemporary Collectible Jewelry
Mid-20th Century French Evening Bags and Minaudières
Unknown Engagement Rings
21st Century and Contemporary American Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Indian Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Beaded Necklaces
Quartz, Sapphire, Topaz, White Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Opal, Silver
2010s American Artisan Beaded Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 2000s North American Art Deco Beaded Necklaces
Sapphire, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century American Multi-Strand Necklaces
Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Agate, Aquamarine, Green Sapphire, Sapphire, Sterling Silver, Silver
20th Century Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Beaded Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Ruby, Sapphire, White Diamond, 14k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
Onyx, Pink Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Vermeil
2010s American Anglo-Indian Beaded Necklaces
Freshwater Pearl, Pink Sapphire, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Australian Modernist Beaded Necklaces
Multi-gemstone, Freshwater Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow S...
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Beaded Necklaces
18k Gold
Late 20th Century Italian Dangle Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
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Sapphire Beads For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Sapphire Beads?
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.