Unheated Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cocktail Rings
Purple Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary French Brooches
Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Arts and Crafts Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Link Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Pink Sa...
21st Century and Contemporary Singaporean Art Deco Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary British Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
Vintage 1940s Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Purple Sapphire, Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Purple Sapphire, Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Purple Sapphire, Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Canadian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Unknown Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Purple Sapphire
2010s Hong Kong Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Australian Loose Gemstones
Green Sapphire, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Padparadscha Sapphire
2010s Nigerian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
Antique 1880s Unknown Late Victorian Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary North American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
Early 2000s Three-Stone Rings
Padparadscha Sapphire , Platinum
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
Vintage 1980s Italian Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Green Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Fashion Rings
Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Modern Drop Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Purple Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
2010s Tanzanian Loose Gemstones
Pink Sapphire
2010s Australian Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire
2010s Malagasy Loose Gemstones
Purple Sapphire
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Unheated Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Unheated 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.