Cornflower Blue Unheated Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Three-Stone Rings
Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary German Revival Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Solitaire Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
Early 20th Century Unknown Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s German Contemporary Pendant Necklaces
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, 18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
20th Century Sri Lankan Dangle Earrings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire
2010s Sri Lankan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
Vintage 1950s Unknown Modern Engagement Rings
Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, White Diamond, Diamond, White Gold, 18k Gold, Gold
Early 2000s American Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, ...
2010s American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, White Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Sri Lankan Modern Loose Gemstones
Sapphire
Antique 1890s Edwardian Fashion Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum
Vintage 1940s Unknown Art Deco Engagement Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold, Platinum, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan More Objets d'Art and Vertu
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
Vintage 1970s Retro Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Engagement Rings
Blue Sapphire, Sapphire, Multi-gemstone, White Diamond, Diamond, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Malagasy Contemporary Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary American Artisan Loose Gemstones
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire
21st Century and Contemporary Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Modern Cocktail Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Australian Contemporary Fashion Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, 18k Gold
Vintage 1980s American Modern Choker Necklaces
Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Fashion Rings
Blue Sapphire
Mid-20th Century Cluster Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, White G...
21st Century and Contemporary Sri Lankan Loose Gemstones
Blue Sapphire
Cornflower Blue Unheated Sapphire For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much is a Cornflower Blue Unheated Sapphire?
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.
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