Padparadscha advice please

[sussicue]

Hi fellow PSers,

I''ve been a long time reader of the forums but this is my first post-yay!
So here goes: My FF and I are looking for an Ering and were dead set on getting a diamond until we came across a gorgeous 3.14 carat natural (unheated and certed) padparadscha loose stone. It was love at first sight and since discovering this pinky peachy gem I have read up on as much material on colored stones as possible. Our dilema is basically the fact that we have never seen any other pads in real life (however, have seen those on NSC, Cherrypicked and several other online vendors) so it is so hard for us to decide on this rather hefty purchase with so little to compare.... I know that if we let the stone go it may be a very long time until we get to even see one again. Would have been so much easier to have just settled with a diamond in away. But thanks to all the experts and wonderful posts about colored stones on PS I''m afraid it is not so easy for us to turn our back on the Pad just yet.

I guess my question is what do you all generally think about Pads as an Ering and more specifically if a Pad from Africa is considered a true Pad (as I recall there is still debate about this right?) The price quoted is around 5500 USD per carat.
I wish I had a pic to post for ya but just for reference the stone we are considering is very similar in color to this one from the Natural Sapphire Company, as attached.

Our other options for the Ering currently are a 1.8 RB diamond solitaire or 2.17 carat emerald cut diamond with tapered diamonds.

Thank you all in advance for any thoughts. I so enjoy reading your post especially regarding colored stones.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Welcome!
Many PSers have sapphire erings. Sapphires are pretty durable, so they are a good choice for an ering.
Pads from Africa are generally more brownish, which is not ideal.
Pads are expensive, especially for decent sizes, cuts and quality. They also come in many different hues, so it's really best to see it in person. For example, the one you posted is quite pink (but it could just be my monitor). All the vendors you mentioned are pretty reputable, so if you can't see it in person, ask for lots of pictures in different light sources.
Also check out the return policy so that you won't be stuck with something you don't love.
Linda is the pad queen here, so I do hope she comments.

 

[ma re]

You can type "padparadscha advice" or something similar into the search here and you''ll find a lot of useful threads (I think it wouldn''t be a bad idea to make a sticky thread about pads too [MODERATORS?!!!], cause questions about them are asked very frequently). You may also find THIS thread very informative, it''s quite a recent one, and it answers some of your questions.

 

[chrono]

A padparadscha is still a sapphire and those are a good choice for an e-ring stone. If set in the right setting, it will appear engagement ring-ish. While many consider a padaparascha from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), not Africa, to be a true padaparascha, I would buy the stone for the looks and not origin. You are correct though that pricing depends on the colour. The picture of the NSC stone you attached as an example of similar colour shows too much pink and not enough orange on my monitor. However, if you like it, that’s fine but the asking price of $5000/ct for that colour is too expensive.

 

[sussicue]

Thank you all so much for your advice. The pad I''m considering is actually from a gems dealer so I did not get any pics of it but it is very similar to that one posted from TNSC- so too much pink for the price they are asking. I do love the stone but will try to lower the price. Lets see.... Will keep you all posted and try to get some pics of it.
Thank you again guys.

Sussi

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I''m a pad fan myself, I went to NSC in person to pick mine out, and I have to say their photos are not the best. I feel like they use tungsten bulbs or something that really downplays the orange components and amps the blues. Pads in general are hard to photograph. I still can''t capture the pink-orange blend in mine to my satisfaction.

Would love to see pics though

 

[Harriet]

Welcome and congratulations!

Unfortunately, there is no consensus amongst dealers about what constitutes a Pad. Some say it shoud be orange-pink, pink-orange, or pink and orange. I wouldn''t dismiss the African material just because it can have brown. The Ceylonese material can show brown too. I''ve heard, but have not had the pleasure of seeing, that the Madagascan material is wonderfully saturated. Yet some prefer pastels.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

From a price standpoint though, I think Richard Wise once mentioned that pads are unusual in that the lighter saturations are more expensive.

 

[Harriet]

Since I love the more strongly saturated ones, that's good news for me! I suspect Richard will say that a beautiful stone is a beautiful stone, however you slice it (sorry for the presumption, Richard).

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 8/31/2009 8:34:14 PM
Author: Harriet
Since I love the more strongly saturated ones, that''s good news for me! I suspect Richard will say that a beautiful stone is a beautiful stone, however you slice it (sorry for the presumption, Richard).

Definitely! As long as you like it, that''s all that matters. I only mention the saturation point as perhaps another price bargaining point

 

[Harriet]

I spoke with a dealer who specialises in corundum and he said that there''s no price difference between the Madagascan material and the Sri Lankan one.

 

[movie zombie]

the only advise i have is to get the very best stone you can afford as this is an e-ring. do not scrimp on the color stone in order to have diamonds around it. a good stone will hold its own and should be the star. you can always have it reset at a later date if you want to upgrade the setting. finding a high quality color stone is time consuming and expensive. good luck and congrats for becoming another color stone e-ringer.

mz

 

[sussicue]

Thanks MZ! I totally agree that the $$ should be spent on getting the best quality stone possible. If we were to get this Pad I would definitely make sure that the setting did everything to compliment the stone. Falling in love with Pads are a curse it seems

 

[Harriet]

I''m trying to resist the urge!

 

[LembeckGems]

lighter saturated stones are not more expensive in my experience. today some sapphires from Madagascar are considered pads. do they cert as pads? i don''t know.

you know originally pads were considered a sub variety of Ruby. not Sapphire. as were pinks. ahhh... the good old days. A pad is a Ruby as far as I''m concerned. aesthetically speaking.

i can''t agree that dealers have hugely differing opinions on what a pad is. i know we disagree with what GIA is using as parameters. From what i see they are not certing pads where the pink and the orange are not blended.

this may sound counter intuitive but what do they know. they''re just a lab. trying to cert mythical pads.

here is a certed unheated pad we sold some time back to give you an idea of range. also, mike''s pad you posted has a big window. needs to be re cut imo. i did business with his grandpa, Walter. liked him very much.

walter had two huge blue zircons that were shocking. nothing like them in the world from what i''v seen. midnight blue diamonds. as big as a silver dollar. i''ll never forget them.

anyway heres the pad. i''m not offering it for sale. it''s already sold. i''m just posting a picture for informations sake. it was a killer. unheated. can you believe it?

 

[LD]

For the Pad you''re considering, who is the Cert from? This can be very important. Also, you mention it''s unheated but is it untreated also?

 

[sussicue]

Thank you for posting- that is just stunning! The Pad we were considering is a lighter color- less saturation I guess. But sadly it was sold.....was not meant to be ours.....

 

[sussicue]

The cert was done by GRS. Says the stone has no indication of heat treatment- silent on any other treatments. But sadly it has been sold...I guess I will just have to wait until another comes our way.

 

[Sagebrush]

Padparadscha sapphire is rare, in fact all ultra fine gems are rare. I often get queries from clients looking for one. Sometimes with specifics right down to size, shape and even dimensions.

I have to laugh, but still we live in a consumer culture and I guess no one can be blamed for thinking that the world is a vast grocery store where anything and everything can be found stacked, in standard sizes, somewhere on the shelves.

My advise to collectors, if you see it love it and can afford it, buy it! Don''t wait around for the perfect 8mm round or 7.5 x 5.5mm cushion or you may be waiting forever.