The Beauty of Estate Sapphire Rings in Fine Estate Jewelry
There's a particular shade of blue that doesn't exist in new sapphires anymore. Not the bright cerulean that photographs well, not the inky navy that tests well in focus groups, but something in between. It’s the color of ocean water in that hour before sunset when everything goes quiet.
I see it maybe three times a year in estate sapphire rings. Last time was in a 1940s setting, white gold, completely plain except for the stone. The sapphire had depth that modern heat-treated stones don't have with little inclusions that looked like silk threads in the right light.
The woman who brought it in wanted to wear it but couldn't figure out how. Maybe the band was too narrow or the style was wrong for her life. However, she kept coming back to the sapphire.
That's the question with estate jewelry rings. Not whether they're beautiful, but whether they can become yours.
What Makes Estate Sapphire Rings Different
When Ed started bringing estate pieces in two years ago, I wasn't sure they fit our shop. Then I'd see a 1920s platinum filigree ring with hand-engraved lilies, or an Edwardian cluster with seed pearls around a center sapphire, and I got it.
The labor would price this work out of reach today with all its hand-engraved details and milgrain beading with a knurled wheel. In estate jewelry rings from the 1880s through the 1950s, this was standard.
The sapphires are different too. Be it the Montana stones from closed mines or Ceylon sapphires cut before heat treatment, the colors have depth most commercial stones lack now.
Why Estate Sapphire Rings End Up Mattering More
Most people don't start out looking for estate jewelry rings but when they see our collection, it changes their mind.
It fills us with childlike joy to see them pick up a 1930s Art Deco ring with geometric platinum work and a Kashmir sapphire, look at the price, look at the ring again. The estate piece costs less and often significantly less, but that's not why they keep holding it.
I can clearly remember a lady who wanted an engagement ring and had looked at probably 200 rings online. Everything started looking the same until she held an estate sapphire ring with a simple bezel setting from 1935. The proportions were different with wider band, lower profile, sapphire set deeper into the metal and looked like it belonged on her hand and her hand only.
How We Work With Estate Pieces
Ed is the one who evaluates estate jewelry rings that come through. He checks stones, examines metalwork, tests gold content and if it's something special, we buy it or take it on consignment.
But not every estate sapphire ring works as-is. Maybe the setting is damaged, maybe it's yellow gold and you only wear white metals. That's when we harvest the stone.
We had another customer who wanted an engagement ring with a sapphire but couldn't afford the $4,000+ stones she was seeing. Lucky her, we had an estate ring with a damaged setting and a 2-carat Ceylon sapphire. We simply pulled the stone, designed a bezel setting, and she got what she wanted for about half the price.
The woman from the opening? We're resetting that sapphire in white gold with her grandmother's original side diamonds.
What I Tell People to Look For
Look at the sapphire under good light. Sapphires are second only to diamonds in hardness and they survive decades beautifully. Check for chips along edges.
Check the metalwork. Worn prongs? Thin shank? We rebuild and reinforce these all the time.
Make sure it's marked - 14K, 18K, PLAT. We test everything.
Trust your gut. If an estate sapphire ring makes you happy when you put it on, that's what matters.
Estate Sapphire Rings as Engagement Rings
Sapphires are practical for engagement rings because they’re hard enough for daily wear and less expensive than diamonds. But people who choose estate sapphire rings for engagements aren't making a practical decision.
They're choosing a ring that already has a life. One couple told me they liked that their ring had survived someone else's marriage, came with proof that commitment lasts. Another woman wanted a ring her future husband couldn't have bought online.
When Estate Rings Become Something Else
Ed and I disagree about this. He thinks every ring should stay a ring whereas I think jewelry should get worn, and if the original form doesn't work, change it.
Three estate sapphire rings, all from the same woman's mother. Different blues - Montana with gray undertone, Ceylon almost purple in certain light, one regular medium blue. Our customer is a nurse, works with her hands, never wears rings.
We made a pendant. Three sapphires in graduated drop, smallest to largest. She wears it under her scrubs every shift. Ed admitted the stones look better in motion than sitting in a jewelry box.
Same lifetime guarantee as anything else we make.
Where to Find Good Estate Sapphire Rings
Estate jewelry shows up everywhere in estate sales, auctions, or antique shops. Quality varies wildly though. Ed sources pieces but passes on most.
Our estate cases change weekly. We don't list estate pieces online because by the time we photograph something, it's sold. Call us at (760) 389-8100 to see what's current.
Come See What We Have
We're on Main Street in Harwich Port, near Sea Street. Open Thursday through Sunday, but call first at (760) 389-8100.
Estate jewelry needs to be seen in person. You need to try things on, see how they look on your hand. We can talk through repairs, custom work, timelines.
If you're inheriting estate jewelry rings or thinking about selling, bring them in. Ed will look at them with you, we'll talk honestly about value.
Email me at Lisa@LEXACO.com or check LEXACO.com. The estate inventory changes too fast for online listings.
The estate jewelry part of what we do has become my favorite part. Every piece has a story that isn't finished yet.
About LEXACO
LEXACO is a handcrafted jewelry studio in Harwich Port, Massachusetts. Ed and Lisa Guariglia opened the shop in 2018, specializing in Cape Cod-inspired sterling silver and gold pieces, custom design, and estate jewelry. We handle estate jewelry evaluation, purchasing, and repurposing. We create custom engagement rings, handle repairs, and make the complete Monahan & Company Cape Cod Ball Jewelry collection. Everything is backed by our lifetime guarantee. Visit us at 537 Main Street, Harwich Port, MA 02646 | (760) 389-8100 | Lisa@LEXACO.com | LEXACO.com