Star Sapphire Rings
19th Century Georgian Antique Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Yellow Gold, Enamel, 14k Gold
1960s American Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
White Diamond, Star Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
2010s American Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Ruby, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Star Ruby, Gold, 14k Gold,...
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
20th Century French Star Sapphire Rings
Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Sapphire, Platinum
2010s American Artisan Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Black Star, Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
2010s Canadian Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century Austrian Civil War Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s American Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Purple Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Brown Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Purple Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Black Star
Late 20th Century Modernist Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century Japanese Modern Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Black Star, Star Sapphire, Brown Diamond, Rose Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Gold, White Gold, 18k Gold
20th Century French Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Modern Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Diamond, Platinum
1950s Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Ruby, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Hong Kong Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Rose Gol...
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Platinum
20th Century American Retro Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold
1890s American Victorian Antique Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Black Star, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Black Star, Star Sapphire, Black Diamond, 18k Gold, White Gold
1970s American Modernist Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Sapphire, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Gold, Wh...
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Star Sapphire Rings
Purple Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Pink Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Ruby, Star Sapphire, Black Star, 18k Gold
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Black Star, Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, White Gold
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Black Star, 18k Gold
1950s Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 14k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Hong Kong Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
21st Century and Contemporary Unknown Modern Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Burmese Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century English Modernist Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Gold, Wh...
Late 20th Century American Modern Star Sapphire Rings
White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Diamond, Star Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Wh...
20th Century Art Deco Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, 18k Gold, White Gold
2010s Australian Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
2010s Thai Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, Tsavorite, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary North American Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Mid-20th Century Art Deco Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Late 20th Century American Modernist Star Sapphire Rings
Star Sapphire, White Diamond, Sapphire, Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum, Yel...
1950s Vintage Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Blue Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Platinum
Late 19th Century European Modernist Antique Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Multi-gemstone, Sapphire, Purple Sapphire, Alexa...
21st Century and Contemporary Art Deco Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, White Gold
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, White Diamond, Sapphire, Star Sapphire, Gold, 14k Gold, Yellow ...
Mid-20th Century European Contemporary Star Sapphire Rings
Diamond, Star Sapphire, 18k Gold
Find Unique Star Sapphire Rings on 1stDibs
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. Today, shop the bright blue gems that star in vintage star sapphire rings on 1stDibs.
Picture a piece of antique sapphire jewelry. If the gemstone 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.
You may have heard of star sapphire jewelry, and yes, star sapphires do exist. These gems are created as a result of Asterism, which “arises from white light reflecting from numerous tiny, oriented needle-like inclusions,” according to the Gemological Institute of America. Such a stone is usually cut as a cabochon and may be any color. Thanks to its depth, a cabochon cut can intensify the hue of a colored stone like an emerald, sapphire or ruby. And it enhances the optical effects seen in some gems, such as the iridescence, or rainbow-like play of color, in opals; the adularescence, or milky glow, of moonstones; the chatoyancy, or cat’s-eye effect, of tigereyes; and the asterism, or star-shaped display, in star sapphire rings and star ruby earrings.
Star sapphires and rubies, both hard stones on the Mohs scale, would not display this compelling feature if not cut as cabochons. These rare gems have been treasured throughout history, and their crossed lines are said to represent faith, hope and destiny.
The grand dame of jewelry, Elizabeth Taylor had a passion for sapphires that her lovers were happy to indulge. Second husband Michael Wilding gave her an engagement ring set with a cabochon sapphire — cabochon jewels were once the height of glamour — 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.
In the 1930s and ’40s, cabochon-cut sapphires surged in popularity as icons of the day embraced them. Mary Pickford, America’s Sweetheart, had a penchant for exceptional jewels. Her husband, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., gave her perhaps the world’s most impressive star sapphire, the Star of Bombay, set in a platinum ring by Trabert & Hoeffer (which later became Trabert & Hoeffer-Mauboussin).
The taste for cabochon sapphires spread across Hollywood. Joan Crawford was known to love the gemstone, so much so that the press dubbed her Joan Blue. Crawford’s second husband, Franchot Tone, commissioned her favorite jeweler, Raymond Yard, to create a ring with a 70-carat star sapphire for their engagement. However, the most publicized Crawford jewel, also designed by Yard, was a bracelet with three huge star sapphires in a wide platinum Art Deco setting along with diamonds. Actor William Powell’s most notable leading ladies, both on- and off-screen, also wore star sapphires.
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. When she died, Mary Pickford left the Star of Bombay to the Smithsonian, where it remains today.
The allure of large gemstones endures throughout the periods characterized as vintage, and star sapphires feature 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 star sapphire cocktail rings, star sapphire engagement rings and other sapphire rings on 1stDibs.
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