Untreated Natural Blue Sapphires
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Link Necklaces
Pearl, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Dangle Earrings
South Sea Pearl, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Unknown Engagement Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1920s Unknown Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century European Art Deco Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Three-Stone Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s European Retro Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Silver
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
20th Century Unknown Modern Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1960s Unknown Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 20th Century German Belle Époque Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Antique Early 1900s Unknown Belle Époque Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Platinum, Silver
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Armenian Modern Wedding Rings
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Unknown Retro Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1950s German Retro Bangles
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s Unknown Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Armenian Modern Wedding Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, White Gold...
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s British Edwardian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century Unknown Victorian Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s African Artisan Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, Green Sapphire
2010s African Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
Antique Late 19th Century French Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Italian Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Late Victorian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire
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Untreated Natural Blue Sapphires For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Untreated Natural Blue Sapphires?
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.