Invisible Set Sapphires
Vintage 1980s Italian Clip-on Earrings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Chain Necklaces
Diamond, Sapphire
20th Century Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
Vintage 1950s French Retro Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
Vintage 1970s Swiss Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Enamel
20th Century Unknown Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modernist Dome Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1940s French Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century American Contemporary Hoop Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Stud Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
2010s Tennis Bracelets
Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
20th Century More Rings
Sapphire, Gold
Vintage 1970s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1950s Unknown Dome Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Brooches
20th Century More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
20th Century Unknown More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold
20th Century Unknown More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century Unknown Retro Clip-on Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Early 20th Century Edwardian Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Stud Earrings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century French More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Yellow Gold
20th Century More Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s Italian Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold
1990s Italian Modern Bangles
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
1990s Retro Bangles
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
20th Century Clip-on Earrings
Crystal, Sterling Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Drop Earrings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century French Bridal Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century French Cufflinks
Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold, Gold
2010s American Contemporary Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1960s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1970s Brooches
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage 1940s American Retro Brooches
Rhodium
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Lever-Back Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1930s French Retro Brooches
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold, Platinum
20th Century Dome Rings
Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s Unknown Contemporary Dome Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s German Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Italian Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1960s American Art Deco Brooches
Gilt Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
1990s American Modern Choker Necklaces
Diamond, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
- 1
Invisible Set Sapphires For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Invisible Set 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.