Padparadscha Sapphire from the Natural Sapphire Company

[Indylady]

Hi Everyone!

I''m really interested in buying this padparadscha from the Natural Sapphire Company:

http://www.thenaturalsapphirecompany.com/Sapphires/Padparadscha/Oval/stoneid=PA2023

Sorry I couldn''t attach a photo, I can''t figure out how to cut the down an acceptable size

Its fantastic because, for $99, its totally in my budget. Its small, but I like delicate jewelry, so thats not an issue either. The three concerns that I do have are:

shape: it seems like a rather fat/unusual oval; its length to width ratio seems different from any other ovals I''ve seen
color: would you call this padparadscha? I know that a lot of people argue about the true color of a padparadscha..I''m not worried about the semantics..I love this stone, and I love it for the color it is, not its title..but, I don''t want to sound like an idiot if and when I tell people its a padparadscha if it doesn''t actually look like one.
depth: is it just me, or does this look like a very shallow stone? is this an issue? are there any drawbacks to having a shallow stone? that probably means it will face up larger than otherwise, right?

Lastly, I know their cutting is done in house, which is fantastic to hear about. However, does anyone know about their mining practices?

Thank you so much!

 

[purrfectpear]

I''m by no means an expert. I wouldn''t call it Pad, since to me Pad is a bronzy, orangy, pinkish color. There are paler Pads and more saturated Pads, but I need the orangish pink when I think Padparadscha.

The stone you linked looks more pink-pink. But......it could be the picture or my monitor.

What is important is that YOU love it.

 

[Linda W]

I have bought many Pads from The Natural Sapphire Company. To be honest, I do not like this one at all. First of all, it has a big window. Second, I do not like the cut of it.

You could ask Steven Bliss to send it to you, so you could look at it in person. Sometimes seeing it in person, you will be able to decide if it is the right stone for you.

You will also be able to see if it has the true pad colors. It looks pink now, but it just may be the light it is displayed in.

I know some of the ones I have, look pink in some light and orangeish in a different light.

Linda

 

[Lady_Disdain]

The NSC classifies the colour as orangish pink and they are reputable. So I''ll assume that the pink colour I see is a product of my monitor and the light. Even if it is pink, that isn''t a problem, as long as you love it and aren''t set on a text book pad.

However, the cutting on that little stone is not good. The girdle is very uneven, which impacts all the crown angles. The cutlet is off center and the facet meets are way off.

I think you will get better value in a heated but nicely cut stone.

 

[cushioncutnut]

I too am no expert but in my recent sapphire search.... I have learned alot lately. The stones color may be appealing, but the extremely shallow cut seems to have created a huge window. It appears to be a rather lifeless stone. Once a stone like this is set... the window may look worse. You don''t want a stone that doesn''t draw you in. I think for the size your are looking for, I would bump up your budget a tiny bit more and get a stone with a better cut.... it will make the color of the stone a little deeper.

 

[Gemseeker]

Looks like a pink sapphire to me. This outfit has a wide range of stone colors they are calling Pad which of course is not correct. Pink, near white, purple, orange and lavender are all not pads (all colors these guys call pads and have pad prices). A true pad is in a very narrow band of either an infusion of pink in orange or orange infused in pink (even this is strongly debated), but definitely has to have the orange and pink. I would only ever pay wholesale prices for gems so Natural Sapphire has never appealed to me because their prices are somewhere nearing retail and I am not impressed with some of ther questionable marketing (like calling so many different colors a pad). If you like the stone buy it who cares what color it is.

 

[Indylady]

Thank you all so much for your help!

I think I may need to see it in person to really decide, and I know they have a great policy on that. However, I do think you guys are right..maybe its not the deal I thought it was. I was just so convinced by the price, and I do like the size and color is fine, but I think the cut and the shape are going to be a big downer. And I have noticed that they are definitely calling a lot of light yellowy oranges padparadscha, so that is something to worry about as well.

Linda W: How have your experiences been? Did you have to see a few before you finally picked?

 

[FrekeChild]

Honestly-not worth the $99. That looks more like a disc than a faceted stone. NSC is kind of known for having not good cuts, but that one pretty much takes the cake. The culet is off, the girdle is thick, and it's as flat as a pancake. That stone is essentially just a window and will have no life or fire at all.

I think you should look elsewhere as well. What is your budget? And what other specs do you want? I'm sure we can hel you find something better!

(Linda rocks the Pads-listen to everything she says about them.)

ETA: Pad from Forever Gemstones-bowtie, $300, oval, window

 

[icekid]

Yeah.... I would definitely pass on this one too. It is waaaaay too shallow to ever be a lively stone. What is your budget?? I just don''t think it will be worth it to spend probably at least a few hundred dollars to set such an inexpensive stone that is probably pretty dead in person. And I don''t personally understand their pad classification either. I would definitely consider this padparadscha color, nor the majority of the rest of the stones that they label as such.

And.. can I say that I am shocked that NSC''s stones are cut in-house? So many of their stones are off when it comes to cut that it''s shocking that they''re American cut. I guess they cut for weight retention.

 

[Indylady]

Freke: That's pad's gorgeous! I'm really surprised NSC is known to have bad cuts- the sales rep I talked to said they cut them all in house (which he said adds to their costs and makes for a better cut than native cut stones).

The buget- under $250.Give or take a little. I know that's not a lot.

Specs- I'm really crossing my fingers for an unheated stone. I know its going to be hard, if not impossible. Size does not matter AT ALL, but color does a little. I'm not necessarily looking for a pad, but any sapphire or ruby, in any color, including white. NSC does have a bunch under $250, even in some pretty good sizes, but they're blues that are really light in color.

I checked out that website- they stones are gorgeous! And priced really reasonable. Have you had any experience with them?

 

[Indylady]

Purrfect Pear: I think you might be right about its color and classification too. I liked the color..but, this isn''t exactly what I think about when I think of a pad.

 

[purrfectpear]

Is your heart set on a sapphire, or would you consider a "Padparadscha colored" tourmaline?

I''ve seen a few of those that are really breathtaking.

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 8/1/2008 12:13:00 PM
Author: purrfectpear
Is your heart set on a sapphire, or would you consider a ''Padparadscha colored'' tourmaline?

I''ve seen a few of those that are really breathtaking.

HI:

I also saw one recently and it was unreal. Not very common methinks.....

cheers--Sharon

 

[geckodani]

http://customgemstones.com/SAPPHIRE/sa970.html

 

[geckodani]

http://www.simplysapphires.com/html/imagespink2006/pinkono105-sm.html

 

[FrekeChild]

Someone recently got a mint garnet from forever gemstones-you might want to try and find that thread, and see what they have to say about their experience. I think you have a lot of options with what you''re looking for. ACS is having a huge sale right now-- Yellow round sapphire 1.2cts, $184, round pink spinel 1.8cts, $241 I love that little spinel and want it to go to a good home, radiant pink spinel .76cts $106, and so on...

I love ACS, it''s my favorite gemstone store, and it helps that EVERYTHING is on sale 30%. So I would totally check that out.

 

[icekid]

Freke- we sure have similar (awesome

) taste lately. I just picked up the pink round BB spinel!

forevergemstones- A quick note: I also purchased (and quickly returned) a mint garnet from Marty. I asked many, many questions about the stone and was seriously disappointed with it. The color was gorgeous, but holy crap- it was like a black hole in the middle. SO MUCH EXTINCTION. blech. Maybe I will put up some pictures. Anyway, I was quite annoyed after having explicitly asked about extinction. It was a waste, not only of over 30 bucks on shipping, but more importantly my time go to to sloooow USPS when I am working 80 hour weeks. I might consider a purchase from him again, but would personally tread carefully there. He has many lovely-appearing reasonably priced stones on his site. Of course, my money was refunded promptly which I did appreciate!

 

[Indylady]

Icekid: Thanks for the heads up!

Gekodani: Thanks for those pictures!

Canukgal: I''m pretty sure I want a sapphire, though tourmalines are gorgeous too. I''m looking for something I can wear day in and out without worrying about damaging it, and I don''t have any sapphires.

Frekechild: I just checkout AC Stones and they are amazing! I really like this pendant: http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=78&idproduct=1804

But, do you know if their stones are treated? Are sapphires treated in any way besides heat treatment?

This one does specifically say "unheated" http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=78&idproduct=1958
so I''m guessing unless it says unheated, it probably is.

 

[Gemseeker]

ZH, in reply to your query about heat treatment. Most treatments to sapphires (except radiation which is not common at all) involve heat, the difference is that some use just plain old heat and others heat the stone in presence of metallic powders like Berylium which can alter the color of the stone. Greens can be turned yellow and orange for example. To tell if a stone is heated is probably not something that the average person can do unless they have the equipment and knowledge to check. Basically all stones have some minute foreign crystals in them of other material such as rutile (there are others), which melts or dissolves at a lower temperature than aluminium oxide (sapphire) and leaves a tell tale mark of where it was in the stone. You need to know what natural inclusions look like before and after heating. Also some heated stones will demonstrate a chalky white green fluorescence under short wave UV, but not all, but if you do see the chalky fluorescence it is for sure heated as no natural stones do this. The best way is still to observe the stone with a 30-60 power stereo microscope and look for voids and feathers created by destruction or melting of the stones natural inclusions. Stones which are really, really clean are difficult to check and may require further lab work, but most stones have something you can see inside with magnification.
if you don''t know what you are doing it is always best to buy stones with lab certificates stating no evidence of heat (they will never come right out and say unheated just no evidence of it).
Gemseeker

 

[Gemseeker]

With a true pad color you should not have to try different kinds of light to make it look like a pad. A pad is a very rare and expensive colored sapphire that holds its pinkish orange/orange pinkish hue in either incandscent or fluorescent. Pad is a very abused term used to charge more for fancy colored sapphires. Just because some retailers call their stones pads does not mean that they are, just gives them an excuse to charge more. Unfortunately the colored stone market is without any formal rules regarding color and clarity, unlike diamonds which have such a standard. This does not mean that classifying colored stone is open to intrepretation, just that there are no set rules to enforce people to properly describe what they are selling. Retailers are trying to turn as much profit as possible so it is in their best interests to bend the rules (which don''t exist).

 

[Linda W]

Gemseeker.

True and expensive pads, still can change color in different lights.


Linda

 

[Gemseeker]

Pads and sapphires in general will all shift a bit depending on the red/blue content of the light. As long as the Pad is not changing color its still a pad, some color shift is OK within the pink orange combination and to be expected for a guenine natural stone. A true pad should never completely lose its pink-orange hue regardless of illumination, just shift a bit within that range.