12 Carat Ceylon Sapphire Ring
20th Century Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
1990s Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
20th Century Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
Early 2000s French Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
Vintage 1950s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1970s Italian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Gold
Early 2000s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
Vintage 1960s French Cluster Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
1990s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Gold
Vintage 1950s Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Onyx, Sapphire, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century North American Modern Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Late 19th Century French Belle Époque Engagement Rings
Yellow Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold...
2010s American Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Yellow Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Rose Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Onyx, Emerald, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Wedding Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
1990s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
Late 20th Century Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, Yellow Gold, 14k Gold, ...
Vintage 1960s British Modern Cluster Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Emerald, 18k Gold
Antique 1890s Victorian Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Pearl, Rose Gold, 10k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1960s European Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Modernist Bridal Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 14k Gold, Gold
Vintage 1970s American Modernist Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1990s Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Yellow Sapphire, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Padparadscha Sapphire , Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
2010s American Solitaire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Band Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Thai Art Deco Pendant Necklaces
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Modern Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s French Cluster Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire
Vintage 1960s Contemporary Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Australian Edwardian Cluster Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Australian Art Deco Cocktail Rings
Sapphire, Diamond, Pink Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, White Diamond, 18k Gold...
1990s Unknown More Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold
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12 Carat Ceylon Sapphire Ring For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a 12 Carat Ceylon Sapphire Ring?
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 Rings for You
Antique and vintage rings have long held a special place in the hearts of fine jewelry lovers all over the world.
No matter their origin or specific characteristics, rings are timeless, versatile accessories. They’ve carried deep meaning since at least the Middle Ages, when diamond rings symbolized strength and other kinds of rings were worn to signify romantic feelings or to denote an affiliation with a religious order. Rings have also forever been emblematic of eternity.
Over time, rings have frequently taken the form of serpents, which have long been associated with eternal life, health and renewal. Italian luxury jewelry house Bulgari has become famous for its widely loved Serpenti motif, for example, and its Serpenti ring, like the other accessories in the collection, began as an homage to jewelry of the Roman and Hellenistic eras. The serpent is now a popular motif in fine jewelry. Jewelry devotees have long pined for rings adorned with reptiles, thanks to antique Victorian rings — well, specifically, Queen Victoria’s illustrious engagement ring, which took the form of a gold snake set with rubies, diamonds and an emerald (her birthstone). Designs for Victorian-era engagement rings often featured repoussé work and chasing, in which patterns are hammered into the metal.
Engagement rings, which are reliably intimidating to shop for, are still widely recognized as symbols of love and commitment. 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.
The most collectible antique engagement rings and vintage engagement rings are those from the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras. Named for the monarchies of the four King Georges, who in succession ruled England starting in 1714 (plus King William’s reign), antique Georgian rings, be they engagement rings or otherwise, are also coveted by collectors. Pearls, along with colored gemstones like garnets, rubies and sapphires, were widely used in Georgian jewelry. The late-1700s paste jewelry was a predecessor to what we now call fashion or costume jewelry.
The Art Nouveau movement (1880–1910) brought with it rings inspired by the natural world. Antique Art Nouveau rings might feature depictions of winged insects and fauna as well as women, who were simultaneously eroticized and romanticized, frequently with long flowing hair. Art Deco jewelry, on the other hand, which originated during the 1920s and ’30s, is by and large “white jewelry.” White metals, primarily platinum, were favored over yellow gold in the design of antique Art Deco rings and other accessories as well as geometric motifs, with women drawn to the era’s dazzling cocktail rings in particular.
Whether you’re hunting down a chunky classic for a Prohibition-themed cocktail party or seeking a clean contemporary design to complement your casual ensemble, find an exquisite collection of antique, new and vintage rings on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022The kind of sapphire in Princess Diana's engagement ring is a blue Ceylon sapphire. It has an oval cut and weighs 12 carats. A 14-karat white diamond halo surrounds the center stone. You'll find a range of sapphire gemstone jewelry on 1stDibs.
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