Invisible Sapphire Brooch
20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
Vintage 1950s French Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
20th Century Modern Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Green Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
1990s Italian Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yello...
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Brooches
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Italian Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Early 2000s German Modern Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gold Plate, Gilt Metal, Rhodium, Base Metal
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
1990s Italian Retro Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Recent Sales
Vintage 1970s Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 14k Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Unknown Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century French Retro Brooches
Sapphire
1990s Italian Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modern Brooches
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gold Plate, Gilt Metal
Vintage 1980s Contemporary Brooches
Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Garnet, Iolite, Peridot, Ruby, Blue Sapph...
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, White Gold
Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Drop Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire
2010s Unknown Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Ruby, Yellow Sapphire, Gold
1990s Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1980s Unknown Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1930s American Art Deco Brooches
Gold Plate, Base Metal
American Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s American Brooches
Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Onyx, Ruby, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Ruby, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Brooches
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Brooches
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century Solitaire Rings
Vintage 1920s Art Deco Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, White Gold, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Platinum
20th Century French Retro Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century American Modern Brooches
Diamond, Emerald, 18k Gold, Platinum, Enamel, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1970s French Fashion Rings
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
20th Century American Modern Link Necklaces
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1960s Bangles
Yellow Diamond, Emerald, Onyx, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Swiss Wrist Watches
Diamond, Lapis Lazuli, White Gold
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque More Jewelry
Diamond, Platinum
Vintage 1930s Link Bracelets
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century American Modern Link Bracelets
Crystal, Lapis Lazuli, Rock Crystal, Yellow Gold
20th Century Italian Modern Wrist Watches
Diamond, 18k Gold
Antique Late 18th Century British Georgian Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Antique Late 19th Century European Victorian Brooches
Diamond, Natural Pearl, 18k Gold, Silver
1990s French Engagement Rings
Diamond, Platinum
Invisible Sapphire Brooch For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Invisible Sapphire Brooch?
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.
Finding the Right Brooches for You
Vintage brooches, which refer to decorative jewelry traditionally pinned to garments and used to fasten pieces of clothing together where needed, have seen increasing popularity in recent years.
While jewelry trends come and go, brooches are indeed back on the radar thanks to fashion houses like Gucci, Versace, Dior and Saint Laurent, all of which feature fun pinnable designs in their current collections. Whether a dazzlingly naturalistic Art Nouveau dragonfly, a whimsical David Webb animal, a gem-studded bloom or a streamlined abstract design, these jewels add color and sparkle to your look and a spring to your step.
Given their long history, brooches have expectedly taken on a variety of different shapes and forms over time, with jewelers turning to assorted methods of ornamentation for these accessories, including enameling and the integration of pearls and gemstones. Cameo brooches that originated during the Victorian age are characterized by a shell carved in raised relief that feature portraits of a woman’s profile, while 19th-century micromosaic brooches, comprising innumerable individually placed glass fragments, sometimes feature miniature depictions of a pastoral scene in daily Roman life.
At one time, brooches were symbols of wealth, made primarily from the finest metals and showcasing exquisite precious gemstones. Today, these jewels are inclusive and universal, and you don’t have to travel very far to find an admirer of brooches. They can be richly geometric in form, such as the ornate diamond pins dating from the Art Deco era, or designer-specific, such as the celebrated naturalistic works created by Tiffany & Co., the milk glass and gold confections crafted by Trifari or handmade vintage Chanel brooches of silk or laminated sheer fabric. Chanel, of course, has never abandoned this style, producing gorgeously baroque CC examples since the 1980s.
Brooches are versatile and adaptable. These decorative accessories can be worn in your hair, on hats, scarves and on the lower point of V-neck clothing. Pin a dazzling brooch to the lapel of your blazer-and-tee combo or add a cluster of smaller pins to your overcoat. And while brooches have their place in “mourning jewelry,” in that a mourning brooch is representative of your connection to a lost loved one, they’re widely seen as romantic and symbolic of love, so much so that a hardcore brooch enthusiast might advocate for brooches to be worn over the heart.
Today, find a wide variety of antique and vintage brooches for sale on 1stDibs, including gold brooches, sapphire brooches and more.
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