4 Best Places to Buy Sapphire Jewelry Online (2023 Edition)

Last Updated on February 5, 2024 by Juli "Jewels" Church

Looking for the perfect place to buy sapphire jewelry online?

You're in the right place! 

In this Learning Jewelry guide I'll answer common questions like:

  • What should you look for when buying sapphires online?
  • Are sapphires good for an engagement ring?
  • How do you know you’re getting a good deal?
  • What are the red flags to watch out for when buying?
top best online stores to buy sapphire jewelry

What Is Sapphire Jewelry?

Sapphire is one of the most recognizable colored gemstones in the market by customers. Sapphire is also the birthstone of September and is most known for its dark blue color. However, sapphires can come in various shades of blue and a whole rainbow of colors. They're most popular in blue, pink, and white sapphire. 

Both sapphires and rubies come from the mineral called corundum. In fact, all red corundum is ruby and every other color of corundum is sapphire. You'll most likely see pink sapphire and white sapphire in jewelry stores like Zales and Jared.

sapphire necklace by james allen

There are many things to know when picking out the best quality sapphires. Let's get into it! 

1. James Allen

james allen sapphire gemstones online

James Allen carries a the largest selection of both loose sapphires and sapphire jewelry. You can find blue sapphires, pink sapphire, yellow sapphire, and green sapphire as loose stones in their catalogue.

They carry them in various shapes, tones, hues, and saturations. You can see their stones at 20x magnification via their 360 degree viewing technology. They all have received heat treatment, which means they have been altered to enhance their color. We'll talk about treated and untreated sapphires further down.  

Unfortunately you aren't able to view your sapphire in the setting like you can with a diamond. It makes it a little harder to envision your blue sapphire engagement ring, but you can be sure that you know exactly what your stone looks like.

You can easily find blue sapphire jewelry on James Allen by going to their birthstones section. They carry a vast selection of blue sapphire rings, bracelets, and necklaces. Most of their blue sapphire jewelry is darker, but there are a few lighter pieces like these gorgeous sapphire and pearl drop earrings:

james allen sapphire earrings

Lastly, James Allen has a fantastic free lifetime warranty that covers any routine maintenance your jewelry will need such as inspections, cleaning, retipping prongs, and rhodium plating white gold sapphire jewelry. You can even get it checked at select Jared stores. 


2. Brilliant Earth

brilliant earth sapphire collection

Brilliant Earth is a popular online jewelry retailer that specializes in ethically conscious jewelry and giving back to various causes. They carry a wide selection of loose sapphires and allow you to build your own sapphire engagement ring. 

They carry both lab created sapphires and natural ones too. Under the description of each natural sapphire, they tell you the origin of that stone. Some sapphires are heat treated and other specify if they are not. Some are from Sri Lanka, some Australian, and the highly popular right now-Montana sapphires. 

Brilliant Earth has an awesome 360˚ viewer for you to observe your sapphires. You'll also be able to choose from over 200 ring settings to go with it as well as some neat viewing features like the skin tone changer. Check out this gorgeous Montana sapphire and the skin tone tool in the video below:

Another thing that's cool is they're more aware of the environment. All of their packing materials are eco-friendly and every customer is given a wooden jewelry box. They also use recycled gold in most of their jewelry, which is great because gold mining isn't great for the environment. 

Aside from choosing your own sapphire, Brilliant Earth carries a bunch of preset sapphire jewelry, like these beautiful 18K white gold blue sapphire and diamond dangle earrings. They'll even have those teal sapphires in 18K white gold studs as well. 

Even though most people know Brilliant Earth online, they also have a bunch of showrooms around the US that many like to shop at. You can also book an appointment in-store or online with a gemstone expert. Their online customer service is open 24/7. 

With your sapphire jewelry purchase, you have the option of adding an Extended Service Plan. However if you plan to shop online only, you'll need to call after you purchase to add it. Inconvenient? Yes. Worth it though? You decide.

While I always advocate getting a ring with a maintenance warranty vs a manufacturer's warranty, you have the option of renewing that warranty in three years. Depending on the cost of your ring, that could get pretty expensive over the next 20 years and beyond. 

Why James Allen is better: James Allen has a better variety of sapphire colors and I also think that a free lifetime warranty is much better than one I have to pay for and renew in three years.


3. Blue Nile

blue nile sapphire jewelry

Blue Nile may not carry loose sapphires like James Allen, but they have a larger selection of sapphire jewelry. Most of their sapphire is blue, but there are a decent amount of pink sapphire jewelry as well. 

If you're looking for something completely breathtaking, you might consider a piece made of the rainbow of sapphire colors, like this sapphire and diamond bracelet below:

If you're looking for cheaper sapphire jewelry set in sterling silver, Blue Nile won't be your best option. Most of their pieces are set in 14kt gold and are $500+. Their sapphire jewelry is for someone who's looking for high quality, yet still affordable.

They would be an excellent option for someone looking for a sapphire engagement ring with the same budget of a diamond ring. 

Now, if you're looking for extraordinary sapphire jewelry, you might consider a piece from Blue Nile's Extraordinary Collection- but be warned, it also comes with extraordinary pricing too. These colors are very vivid and they're both natural and untreated. Most sapphires outside this collection are natural and heat treated to enhance color. 

Check out this breathtaking $34,000 pink sapphire and diamond ring from the Extraordinary Collection: 

Blue Nile offers all customers a 30 day return policy as well as a lifetime manufacturer's warranty. This warranty doesn't cover any routine maintenance that your jewelry will need, so you'll have to pay out of pocket for any work done. 

Why James Allen is Better: Not only does James Allen carry a rainbow of sapphire colors priced for both high and low end, they have many settings for you to put your beautiful sapphire in without a lengthy and expensive process. By offering loose sapphire, you're able to control your cost better than pre-designed pieces. 

Each of their settings come with a lifetime warranty that covers routine maintenance. If you're going to buy a high quality sapphire engagement ring, make sure that it has a warranty.


leibish sapphire jewelry

If you're looking for both affordable and untreated sapphires, Leibish & Co. is going to be your go to. Leibish & Co. will have treated and untreated sapphires with better cut shapes than you might find at James Allen.

Some of their sapphires are labeled as ceylon and have origins from Sri Lanka. They have 1 page of loose sapphires priced under $5000 and many in double digits, making it great for collectors and premium buyers. 

You can see the loose sapphires through a 360 viewer as well and high magnification. They also have sapphire jewelry, but it's a small collection of under 100 pieces and they are mostly blue sapphires, with a few yellow and pink sapphires.

Check out this beautiful pair of yellow sapphire earrings from Leibish and Co:

leibish yellow sapphire diamond

Leibish and Co. offers a lifetime warranty on all of their jewelry covering rhodium plating, prongs, cleaning, and inspection. They also allow one free ring resizing within the first two years of purchase. They also repair outside the warranty for a cost.You always pay for shipping as well. 

Why James Allen is better: Leibish and Co. offers some of the most prestigious sapphires on the market, but they're not readily accessible for the average bank account. With only a few choices under $5000, not everyone can afford. But they might be able to afford this gorgeous 1 carat oval pink sapphire and diamond engagement ring combo for less than $2000.


FAQ When Buying Sapphire Jewelry Online

Are Sapphires Good For An Engagement Ring?

Corundum a rating of 9 on the Moh Scale of hardness. You actually see sapphires placed in diamond engagement rings quite often.

You should be able to find at least one diamond sapphire engagement ring in a local fine jewelry retailer and many online.

Mohscale
You'll find more diamond rings with sapphire center stones online, however. Sapphire is a great option for an engagement ring because it's durable enough for daily wear. Be wary of treatments as it could change your sapphires' appearance.

Is Sapphire Jewelry More Expensive?

In general, sapphire jewelry, including the best sapphire wedding band, is going to be less expensive than diamonds. With diamonds, the value is based on how clear the diamond is, regarding both color and clarity.

Blue sapphires are going to be the most expensive of all the sapphires and they are valued by their color. If you have a diamond with lower diamond grades, it might be less expensive than a high quality Vivid sapphire like the one below from Leibish and Co. 

Similarly, even an 8 carat pink sapphire gem might be more expensive than a 1 carat diamond. You can't really pit colored gemstones against diamonds in a fair fight, because the two have different qualifiers that deem them valuable. 

There are always exceptions though. The rare Kashmir blue sapphire with its velvety blue color is more rare than a diamond. Only a few are wealthy enough to own such a rarity. There are museums that you are able to view a Kashmir sapphire.

Read also: The Most Popular Blue Precious Gems 

What Should You Look For When Buying Sapphire Online?

You've probably heard of the 4Cs by now, a diamond grading system put forth by the Gemological Institute of America. With gemstones, they follow the same basic guidelines, but without the actual grades. 

Cut

With diamonds, the cut is the most important of the 4Cs. But with colored gemstones, the cut doesn't affect the value as much. It's true, you do want a nicely shaped sapphire.

Sapphires come in all different shapes but are often found in round or princess cut. They are most often seen as faceted gems in the jewelry world, but also have a presence among cabochons.

The most coveted sapphire cabochon is the star sapphire. Star sapphires are the result of rutile inclusions in the sapphire crystal. Gem cutter cut the cabochon in order to create the star sapphire look. 

There's no actual cut standard for sapphires. You'll want to make sure the table of stone is centered and the shape looks even and like it's supposed to. But overall, when it comes down to value and pricing, the cut has little impact.

james allen sapphire gemstone cut types

Color

Sapphires are most valued by their color and their color tone, hue, and saturation.

Tone is how is basically how dark or light the stone is. Colorless corundum would receive a 0.  An gemstone color tone can be Very Light, Light, Medium, Medium Dark, Dark, and Very Dark. Medium to Dark is optimal for high quality sapphires. 

gem tone scale

Hue is the color that can be seen through the light in a gemstone. The GIA hue scale is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and purple. Sapphires can be green with secondary hues of either violet or green. 

Colored Gemstone Hue Example

gemstone hue example

Sapphires have different names according to the intensities of their hue. You might find the different shades of blue sapphire named, such as ceylon sapphires from Sri Lanka, royal blue sapphires from Burma, steely gray sapphires from Montana in the United States, or the priceless Kashmir sapphires

The hues in a sapphire can range based on the color of sapphire. Valued blue sapphires may contain secondary hues of green and violet. While sapphires may be valued most at a pure blue color, the violet hues are very prized as well.

Hues on a grading report for a blue sapphire may be shown as Slightly Green, Strongly Green, Slightly Violet, or Strongly Violet. It will be displayed as slvB for slightly violet blue. The main color's initial is always capitalized.  

Saturation is how intense the color is in the sapphire. Low saturations in colored gemstones make the stone appear either grayish or brown, depending on the color of the gemstone.

For cool colors like blue, violet or green, low saturation causes the stone to look grayish. For warm colors like yellow, red, and orange, low saturation will cause these colors to look brownish. You may see the saturation terms on a grading report from the GIA as follows: 

GemSaturationScale

Clarity

The clarity of a gemstone refers to how transparent the stone is when the light is reflected through it. A  sapphire with a darker tone won't show inclusions near as much as a lighter.

Eye-clean sapphires are hard to find and they are expensive. The clarity of a sapphire isn't a huge deal if you're not a collector. Just look for a sapphire whose inclusions may be deep enough or on closer to the girdle of the stone. 

Clarities of colored gemstones are stated the same way diamonds are using the I2, I1, SI2 SI1, VS, VVS, and IF clarity scale, similar to diamonds. Type I is eye-clean gemstones, as in gemstones whose clarities are typically free of inclusions.

Type II is sometimes included, and Type III is almost always included. A sapphire that is eye-clean means that there shouldn't be any noticeable inclusions with the naked eye.

Internally flawless untreated natural sapphires are very expensive, so you should definitely check a grading report if you find one advertised as a deal. You can't cut corners with high quality sapphires.

Read also: The best vvs diamonds for sale

Carat

Sapphires don't usually increase heavily in cost when they increase in carat weight. You're actually more likely to find sapphires over 1 carat than you are to find under it. It's easy to produce larger stones.

However, you won't usually find any sapphires over 5 carats in the commercial market. Larger sapphires increase in cost when their clarities are pristine and the color is fancy vivid. These factors in a larger carat weight will make prices skyrocket. 

james allen sapphire engagement ring

Red Flags When Buying Sapphires Online?

When you're scouring the internet for sapphires, you're going to come across many options. 

You may also see jewelry being advertised as simulated sapphires or the word sapphire in the headline, but the fine print in the description says differently. Simulated sapphires are stones that are passed off as sapphires, but are either another gemstone, or man-made entirely, and therefore fake.

Spinel, cubic zirconia, zircon, and colorless quartz that has been thermal shocked are all sapphire simulants. Look out for these words throughout any online listing. Here's an example of something you might see:

fake sapphire jewelry

See, it says sapphire, but then says CZ right after. It's cubic zirconia, which is a man-made stone made to basically pretend like it's another gemstone. In this case, it's pretending to be sapphire.

Make sure that when you're shopping online, you pay attention to these to spot the differences between cubic zirconia vs white sapphire.

It's very common for sapphires to be heat treated or receive other treatments to improve clarity or colors. Untreated sapphires will cost more than treated ones. Heat treatments often remove rutile inclusions and improves tone and saturation.

A heat treated sapphire will of the same quality will cost 20%-30% less than an untreated sapphire. But, heat treatment are normal. Gem sellers are supposed to put heat treatments if known on their products, but not all do.

You can never know for sure if your sapphire is heat treated unless you have its certification or grading reports. A grading report will ensure you're getting what you paid for. 

How to Get the Best Deal When Buying Sapphires Online?

I'm going to leave you with three lasting tips to remember when buying emeralds online. 

Make sure you can see the stone

If you choose a blue sapphire that's dark enough, you won't see inclusions, but it's still important to buy from a store (online or offline) that lets you see the stone in magnification.

This could be through a video clip, under gemscope magnification, 360 viewing technology, and showroom viewings at physical locations. The exception to this would be Brian Gavin, whose reputation is good for high quality sapphires. 

Buy from a reputable dealer

Sapphires are in abundance, but a high quality untreated sapphire can cost a fortune. Many people turn to private dealers, Facebook, and more frequently, WhatsApp.

While it's very possible to find legitimate dealers on these sites, it's very hard to track unless they have a formal business. It's important to buy from someone you can trust. All of the jewelry stores aforementioned in this article and reputable and reliable jewelry dealer. 

Don't compromise on Cut

Sapphire is right under the durability of a diamond, making it perfect for daily wear. Color may be the most important visually for a sapphire, but a Poor Cut will make your sapphire weak and vulnerable to chipping or breaking. Make sure you guard the cut with the same importance as sapphire color.

blue nile pink sapphire diamond ring

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