Unheated Burma Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Chain Bracelets
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Link Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Belgian Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Pink Diamond, Opal, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Sterling...
2010s Belgian Contemporary Fashion Rings
Alexandrite, Diamond, Sapphire, Brown Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Spinel, Pa...
2010s Belgian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Diamond, Emerald, Jade, Sapphire, Tourmalin...
2010s Belgian Art Nouveau Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, Paraiba, 18k Gold, Rose Go...
2010s Belgian Cocktail Rings
Blue Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Pink Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Tourmaline, P...
2010s Belgian Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Tourmaline, Chrysoberyl, Yellow Diamond, Sapphir...
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Dangle Earrings
South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Antique Mid-19th Century Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
Early 20th Century Art Deco Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
1990s French Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold
20th Century Unknown Edwardian Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Cultured Pearl, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Modern Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Modern Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Modern Three-Stone Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Star Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, White Diamond, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Clip-on Earrings
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Unknown More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1980s French Bridal Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s Edwardian More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Pendant Necklaces
White Diamond, Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Modern Bracelets
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Spinel, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Stud Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Modern Cocktail Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
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Unheated Burma Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Unheated Burma 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.
- What is an unheated sapphire?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertOctober 12, 2021Unheated sapphires refers to sapphires that have not had any form of heat treatment, which enhances their color and clarity. Gemology experts estimate that more than 90% of sapphires on the market are heated sapphires. Find a collection of vintage and antique sapphire jewelry on 1stDibs today.