Sapphires are engagement-ring favorites — an antique, new or vintage blue sapphire engagement ring symbolizes fidelity and truth, and provides that requisite “something blue” for the bride’s wedding day ensemble. Sapphires come in every color of the rainbow, but blue sapphires are the most common.
Even though Napoléon Bonaparte proposed in 1796 to Joséphine, a fashion icon long before Princess Diana, with a two-carat, sapphire and diamond Toi et Moi engagement ring, the most famous blue sapphire engagement ring has to be the Garrard stunner that the late princess picked out in 1981, with its halo of diamonds surrounding the center stone.
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.
Princess Diana’s engagement ring now graces the finger of the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton) and sparked renewed interest in sapphire rings when Prince William proposed to her with it in 2010. A full decade later, a younger generation is newly besotted with the famous jewel, thanks to the hit Netflix series The Crown, which includes a Princess Diana plot line in season five.
If you’re seeking a stone fit for royalty, pay close attention to origin.
“Kashmir sapphires sit atop the throne of the sapphire kingdom for their unique color and scintillation unlike any other,” says Sumeet Chordia, of New York City–based RAF Jewels. The velvety-blue Kashmir variety is also extremely rare, especially since the mine is no longer producing. Other premium sources are Burma (also called Myanmar), known for sapphires of a rich royal blue, and Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), which produces gems in the highly sought-after shade of cornflower blue, à la Princess Diana’s ring. Good sapphires also come from Madagascar.
As with other gems, when shopping for a sapphire engagement ring, the 4Cs are crucial. The most desirable cut is the one that shows to best advantage the particular stone’s individual combination of color, clarity, and brilliance. Finally, since sapphires are relatively dense, a one-carat stone will appear smaller than a diamond of the same weight.
Find antique, new and vintage blue sapphire engagement rings on 1stDibs. And explore our buying guides for a close look at antique engagement rings, Art Deco engagement rings and vintage engagement rings.
