Large Sapphires
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s American More Bracelets
20th Century Cluster Rings
White Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Brooches
1940s American Hats
21st Century and Contemporary North American Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Edwardian Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1980s French Art Deco Clip-on Earrings
1990s Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
1990s French Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Gold Plate
Early 20th Century British Edwardian Vases
Blown Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Modern Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Late Victorian Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Wh...
Late 20th Century American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold
Mid-20th Century Italian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Art Deco Brooches
Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold
Mid-20th Century Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cuff Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire
2010s American Tennis Bracelets
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 14k Gold, White ...
2010s Unknown Art Deco Lever-Back Earrings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Silver, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Early 2000s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Hoop Earrings
Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Mid-20th Century Pendant Necklaces
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Italian Modern Fashion Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
2010s Indian Modern Link Bracelets
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Unknown Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Silver
2010s Asian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Anklets
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century European Contemporary Signet Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Green Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold, Gold
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s Hong Kong Pendant Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Opal, Silver, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique 19th Century Austrian Renaissance Revival Pendant Necklaces
Pearl, Sapphire, Silver
Vintage 1930s Art Deco Drop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Vintage 1930s European Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modern Chain Necklaces
Cultured Pearl, South Sea Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Gold
Antique 19th Century Austrian Renaissance Revival Dangle Earrings
Pearl, Sapphire, Silver
20th Century Unknown Modern Brooches
Diamond, Pearl, Cultured Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1910s Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow ...
Vintage 1950s Unknown Retro Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Pearl, Sapphire, 14k Gold
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Large Sapphires For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Large 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.