What makes a padparadcha sapphire

[ioannis]

Dear colleagues what makes a padparadcha sapphire meaning which are the standarts used by the labs in order to give this name to the gem?
Is it only the combination of intense orangy pink in combination with sri lanka origin or are there other standarts?
Thank you in advance

 

[puppyguts]

I don't believe origin is involved, just the colour

 

[ioannis]

Just orangy pink???i ask that because i have seen gia certificates mentioning color as orangy pink but not"""padparadcha"" origin

 

[PrecisionGem]

Pad is a color, not an origin.

 

[eastjavaman]

"Have to have" both Orange and Pink present, however minimal.
Pinkish Orange color will also work I think.

 

[eastjavaman]

Sri Lanka is the original source as the term was originally coined from. But eventually there is the one called African Pad which is darker version and lack the softness that of Sri Lankan

 

[ioannis]

http://www.starruby.in/store/images/large/2015/A10667-2.03-carat-sapphire-310815_3_LRG.jpg
So what about this certified as orangy pink but not pad by gia...is that due to the low color intensity???

 

[eastjavaman]

Within pad itself, I believe there are ranges and variations. In blue sapphire, there is a trade term called Cornflower, Royal which describe the differences in these blues.
In Pad the reference is the Lotus flower, if I were to base it in the picture in the report, the color on both orange and pink is faint, almost non existent: you are right, it looks almost clear. Of course we would love to be graded Pad that sells 5-10 times the pink sapphire price. Even the African pad, a lot of connoisseurs think that they are not a real pad due to the darker hue. Worth to mention different labs have different standards in their reports and grades. Perhaps different labs would grade this stone as Pad: Colored stones are harder to grade than colorless diamonds.
In FCDs we have, Fancy Light, Fancy, Intense, Vivid, I am not sure why we do not have that in CS. It is either Pad or no Pad.
Go figure

 

[PrecisionGem]

You can't make that generalization that Pads from Africa are darker and lack the softness in Pads from Sri Lanka. There are variations of colors in sapphires from every location. R. Wise had told me once that the nicest pad he had seen was one from Africa. There are stones with good color from each location, and stones with poor color from each location.

Here is how Gem-E-Wizard describes the color of Pad sapphire. These would be the trade preference, your own preference in color is at liberty to vary. Buy what you like, and like what you buy.

 

[eastjavaman]

I agree. Just like the Burmese rubies.

 

[FinewaterGems]

Perhaps this might help...or not. Even the experts don't agree on a single color definition.

http://www.ruby-sapphire.com/padparadscha-sapphire.htm

 

[RSargent]

Great article!