Untreated Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1980s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Retro Bracelets
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cluster Rings
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1970s Italian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Antique Early 19th Century Romanian Art Nouveau Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Platinum, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary British Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s British Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s British Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century German Edwardian Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Antique 1890s Unknown Victorian Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s African Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Thai Modern Pendant Necklaces
Aquamarine, Pink Sapphire, Silver
2010s African Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s African Artisan Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire
Antique Late 18th Century Italian Georgian More Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold
20th Century American Artist Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
Vintage 1970s French Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Unknown Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Unknown Retro Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Retro Solitaire Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Palladium
Late 20th Century British Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s British Drop Earrings
White Diamond, Morganite, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s African Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Australian Edwardian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Early 20th Century Unknown Late Victorian Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Y...
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
2010s African Modern Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Zircon, Platinum, Sterling Silver
Antique 1890s Victorian Link Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Loose Gemstones
Yellow Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1910s Russian Russian Empire Link Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Bangles
Blue Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Lever-Back Earrings
Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
2010s Swiss Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
2010s Unknown Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Victorian Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Vintage 1910s Unknown Edwardian Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Retro Bangles
Blue Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
Antique 1850s British Victorian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Natural Pearl, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, Pearl, Sapph...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Pendant Necklaces
Ruby, Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Modern More Rings
Ruby, Sapphire, Rhodium, Sterling Silver
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Untreated Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Untreated 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.