Padparadscha Sapphires - The King of Sapphires

_{Padparadscha Sapphire from Ceylon}

Features of Padparadscha Sapphires

Arguably the rarest variety in the sapphire family. The famous but simultaneously mysterious Padparadscha Sapphires is a sight to behold. Originally sourced from the gem-rich Island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Padparadscha Sapphires are the near-perfect embodiment of beauty, rarity and luxury. In an era where exotic gemstones are drawing ever greater appeal in the minds of novelty-seeking buyers: A point which is especially true in the market for diamonds, Padparadscha Sapphires have thus emerged as the ideal combination that brings together these complex but interrelated elements.

You can browse some Padparadscha Sapphires which are currently in our inventory.

_{Natural Padparadscha Crystal from Ceylon}

What are Padparadscha Sapphires?

Padparadscha Sapphires, a name and colour that is based on the mysterious variant of the lotus flower found in Sri Lanka: The symbolic flower of the island nation, that comes in a variety of shades of pink. However, it is the unique Padparadscha variety of the lout's flower that has come to garner the attention of people. In the world of gems and jewellery, novelty is strength. The novelty of colour combined with beauty is even better. Well, that is what you get with the Padparadscha Sapphire! Not only is it one of the (if not the) rarest variety of sapphires, it is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. But the rarity of this gemstone is but only one of its many desirable attributes. Here are a few more that are worth considering.

The Color of Padparadscha Sapphires

Unsurprisingly the main draw of the Padparadscha Sapphires is its colour. The Padparadscha Sapphire garners its wide appeal via its captivating colour: which is a unique combination of pink and orange. Of course, the combination of these colours varies greatly depending on the Padparadscha Sapphire in question. The many varieties of shades of these two colours, and how they combine in the select gemstone, along with other factors that determine the quality of gemstones (i.e. Clarity, Cut, Size etc.), contribute to the final quality of Padparadscha Sapphire. The unique colour of Padparadscha Sapphires is the unifying shade that emerges when the lout's flower contrasts with the tropical sunset, which is a sight to behold in this Island nation.

_{Colours of Padparadscha Sapphires}

Unsurprisingly the main draw of the Padparadscha Sapphires is its colour. The Padparadscha Sapphire garners its wide appeal via its captivating colour: which is a unique combination of pink and orange. Of course, the combination of these colours varies greatly depending on the Pad

Sunset Colour Padparadscha Sapphire

Historically, Padparadcha colour was compared to the colour of the lotus flower, and the name 'Padparadscha' means 'radiant light of lotus' in Sanskrit (Sanskrit is the ancient language in India which is the mother language to most of the modern languages spoken in the region including Sinhalese in Sri Lanka or Ceylon). However, in recent times gemmologists started further classifying this stone into two main groups, Sunset colour and Sunrise colour. Sunset padparadscha is the variety that is more orangish than pinkish and compared to the colour of a tropical Sri Lankan sunset above the ocean.

Sunrise Colour Padparadscha Sapphire

Sunrise padparadscha is resembling the colour tone of the sky at the dawn during the sunrise and is more pinkish than orangish. This publication from GRS Gemresearch Swiss Lab provides a guideline to correctly identify the GRS-type “SUNRISE” Padparadscha Sapphire and GRS-type “SUNSET” Padparadscha Sapphire (pp 44-49). (download) This is the most widely accepted guideline for padparadscha sapphire colours.

 _{A Sunrise Padparadscha (left) and a Sunset Padparadscha (right) from our own inventory}

Where is Padparadscha Sapphires coming from?

The name the Padparadscha Sapphires are based on is, one that is also connected with its colour, is related to the Sinhalese word, a language that is native to the island nation, that applies to the specific variety of the lotus flower. Padparadscha Sapphires are a distinct variety of Ceylon Sapphires. Ceylon Sapphires refer to the conundrum variety of the gemstones (excluding rubies) that are native to the gem rich Island nation. Ceylon sapphires have built up a high reputation as gemstones that originate from a country that is renowned for its long history in the gem trade: From its careful, and ethical mining processes, environmentally conscious character of the gem trade, the skilled and carefully managed process of Curing, combined with a wide selection of sapphire from which to choose from. Padparadscha Sapphires that have historically sourced only from the Island nation are considered the best and most authentic variety. Whilst newer Padparadscha Sapphires deposits have been unearthed in parts of Africa, with deposits of the stone found in countries Madagascar and Tanzania. Experts agree that the most authentic versions of this precious stone come from Ceylon.

Learn more about the history of Padparadscha Sapphires in our blog.

_{Natural padparadscha sapphire from Sri Lanka}

What makes Padparadscha Sapphires Special

In the world of gemstone rarity is a quality, and along with beauty and durability, the difficulty of obtaining the gemstone makes it all the more desirable. Consider it like a treasure from a different era: their value is not only related to the economic value of the material but also the history and tradition that it embodies. Padparadscha sapphires carry such features: besides being immensely rare (i.e. gem certified gems), this gemstone, which was originally native to the island nation of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and its colour and name captures the distinct feel of the country’s natural environment: the beautiful sunset or sunrise and how the glow of the star produces this novel colour as hits the lotus bloom: a flower that is predominant to this part of the world. Then we have the colour, which varies in terms of the combinations, but it captures distinct shades of pink, orange, with shades of light yellow, that come together in various levels of hue, and vividity. This means there is a variety of Padparadscha gemstones to choose from, provided you can find the right jeweller who can provide it.

Certification of Padparadscha Sapphires

Padparadscha sapphires are more expensive than other varieties of sapphires. When a sapphire carries a gemological certificate that says it is a padparadscha sapphire, the price of the gemstone immediately jumps up. However, different laboratories have different standards when making the decision of whether a sapphire is qualified to be a padparadscha. Some laboratories are very strict and others can be lenient. This should not be interpreted as the labs which are more strict on the standards are better than the labs that are more flexible. This is similar to the situation where we have gold in different purities such as 22K, 18K, 14K, and 9K. 18K gold has 75% of gold whereas 9K gold only has 37% of gold and we still call it gold. In the same manner, padparadscha sapphires which exhibit the padparadscha characteristics strongly, especially the colour are more valuable than the sapphire showing those characteristics mildly.

_{Even each of these padparadschas has a pinkish-orangish colour combination, the overall appearances are very different}

Padparadscha Sapphire Engagement Rings

This was to be expected. When it comes to gemstones, the top destination for fine jewellery is the engagement ring. Whilst not everyone is in the marriage market, at least not all the time, if the time is right, and you are seeking an exotic but beautiful, luxurious but special variety of sapphire gemstone for your engagement ring, then it is tough to go wrong with the Padparadscha Sapphire engagement ring. Its growing popularity among the cream of society was validated with Princess Eugenie’s beautiful engagement ring, which was set with a wonderful Padparadscha Sapphire. So a choice of royalty might be the right fit for you.