Your opinions on this Padparadscha?

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

Hi everyone,

I am very interested in a padparadscha, am a newbie and have been lurking in this forum for a little while.

What do you all think about this one from finewater gems? I know some of you may not consider this a pad and it would be extremely expensive for "not a pad".

I was originally searching for a smaller (maybe around 1ct) unheated and checked many websites including gemfix, Jupiter gems, africagems, etsy etc. but didn't see anything that I really liked. A good number of them appear to be poor cut (to my rookie eye). The one from finewater caught my eye right away and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. I like the saturation of the stone and how it's more on the pink side which is what I'm looking for. I don't really love the too pastel colors of a "typical" pad and some of them look almost like morganite to me, but of course that's just personal taste.

I was offered 15% off from original $8000 price, would I be paying way too much for what many may consider to not be a pad? It comes with a lotus report, and in the report it does say it's a pad.
If pads don't work out for me I would probably just go for a unheated pink sapphire.

Thank you for your advices.

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

Another pad I found on etsy that I like, but I'm not sure if it's a good cut. 1.75ct from Sri Lanka unheated (claimed by seller), maybe that's why I'm interested in it. Has GGTL certificate but I'm vary of those smaller labs for heated/unheated. The vendor has all good reviews on etsy so far and they are based in Sri Lanka.

Mrs_Strizzle · Nov 25, 2021

I think the OPs stone is gorgeous. No comment on the price, as I've never been seriously in the market for a Pad, so idk the nuances. But I will say I would trust a Lotus report, for sure. What little I do know about Pads is how hard it is to find a beautifully cut one, and this one certainly is.

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

Mrs_Strizzle said:
I think the OPs stone is gorgeous. No comment on the price, as I've never been seriously in the market for a Pad, so idk the nuances. But I will say I would trust a Lotus report, for sure. What little I do know about Pads is how hard it is to find a beautifully cut one, and this one certainly is.

Thank you for the reply! I absolutely love everything about this stone. It is heated but I don't think I mind it too much, as pads with a good cut are already so hard to find. I just don't know if the high price tag justifies it, even though it stole my heart.

chrono · Nov 25, 2021

The second stone looks cloudy and even though it is 1.75 ct, it is cut very deep so it will face up very small for the carat weight.

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

@chrono Thank you for the opinion!

theredspinel · Nov 25, 2021

I’m one of those that wouldn’t call the first stone a pad. But that’s just my opinion so it means as much or as little as you want it to mean!

My advice would be to figure out what you want, and what are you paying for, then decide if those two align.

Why exactly do you love the first stone? Is it the colour? Is it because it’s called a pad with a good cut? If it wasn’t called a pad, would you still love it as much?

Would you be paying way to much for this stone? Only you and your finances can answer that.

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

theredspinel said:
I’m one of those that wouldn’t call the first stone a pad. But that’s just my opinion so it means as much or as little as you want it to mean!

My advice would be to figure out what you want, and what are you paying for, then decide if those two align.

Why exactly do you love the first stone? Is it the colour? Is it because it’s called a pad with a good cut? If it wasn’t called a pad, would you still love it as much?

Would you be paying way to much for this stone? Only you and your finances can answer that.

I do looove the orange pink color of the stone, and if it can be classified as a pad with very good cutting then it will be a huge bonus. My tiny concern is if I ever need to sell the stone/jewelry in the future (which I don't intend to but we never know), I don't want it to drop extremely in value because no one else sees it as a pad.

I did come across another stone on the web with pretty much the same color as this one, good cut and with a valid GIA report stating the variety as padparadscha sapphire. It is around the same size and even more expensive, although not sure if it's still for sale. Also like I've said earlier the Lotus report of this stone also states its a padparadscha. So now I'm even more confused for what the industry standards are for pads

Here's another picture of it with indoor lighting from Gary who has been extremely helpful so far

demantoidz · Nov 25, 2021

cocobianco said:
I do looove the orange pink color of the stone, and if it can be classified as a pad with very good cutting then it will be a huge bonus. My tiny concern is if I ever need to sell the stone/jewelry in the future (which I don't intend to but we never know), I don't want it to drop extremely in value because no one else sees it as a pad.

I did come across another stone on the web with pretty much the same color as this one, good cut and with a valid GIA report stating the variety as padparadscha sapphire. It is around the same size and even more expensive, although not sure if it's still for sale. Also like I've said earlier the Lotus report of this stone also states its a padparadscha. So now I'm even more confused for what the industry standards are for pads

Here's another picture of it with indoor lighting from Gary who has been extremely helpful so far

Imo it fits the industry standard for pad since a top lab designated it as such.
The lab report its as objective as you can get. If selling, you can call it a pad citing the report and those who prefer pastels can consider it not a pad to them and look for a different stone.
I can't comment on value/price/resaleability unfortunately.
This is the closest comparison I could find for a relatively intense pad. It is sold. No heat, windowed cut, 1.26ct and under 4k (plus they have 20-25% off sales often). But the cut plus nuances in color may cause such price differences. While the finewater one is top color for me, the heated status would be a dealbreaker.

Natural Padparadscha Sapphire Gems - Pink Orange Natural Padparadscha Sapphires

Find RARE NATURAL PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE at AfricaGems.com. We specialize in genuine natural real Padparadscha Sapphire stones that are certified and valuable.

www.africagems.com

edit - I see you mentioned in your post you checked africagems, so you probably saw the one I linked, my bad.
Heres another comparison, but again some differences - worse cut, just under 1ct, unheated, some orange zoning, 2850/ct.

Padparadscha Sapphire 6.5/4.4 Oval "N" 0.98ct

mayerandwatt.com

Lilith112 · Nov 25, 2021

IMO the first two are a bit too pink w/out enough orange mix, but it's also a matter of what suits you & your preferences.

JackTrick · Nov 25, 2021

I absolutely love the stone. I think it’s a beautiful mix of colors

You could see if Finewater could give you an extended evaluation period such that you can send it to a different gem lab? With an understanding that you will keep it if it comes back as a pad.

Mreader · Nov 25, 2021

I’m in love with this one. In a different thread there was a guy who was considering it for his girlfriend but chose a different stone. I had been rooting for this one. Some people did not like the orange zoning but I found it part of the charm.

CBianco · Nov 25, 2021

demantoidz said:
Imo it fits the industry standard for pad since a top lab designated it as such.
The lab report its as objective as you can get. If selling, you can call it a pad citing the report and those who prefer pastels can consider it not a pad to them and look for a different stone.
I can't comment on value/price/resaleability unfortunately.
This is the closest comparison I could find for a relatively intense pad. It is sold. No heat, windowed cut, 1.26ct and under 4k (plus they have 20-25% off sales often). But the cut plus nuances in color may cause such price differences. While the finewater one is top color for me, the heated status would be a dealbreaker.

Natural Padparadscha Sapphire Gems - Pink Orange Natural Padparadscha Sapphires

Find RARE NATURAL PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE at AfricaGems.com. We specialize in genuine natural real Padparadscha Sapphire stones that are certified and valuable.

www.africagems.com

edit - I see you mentioned in your post you checked africagems, so you probably saw the one I linked, my bad.
Heres another comparison, but again some differences - worse cut, just under 1ct, unheated, some orange zoning, 2850/ct.

Padparadscha Sapphire 6.5/4.4 Oval "N" 0.98ct

mayerandwatt.com

Thank you for the links! The finewater one would still be my favorite by far in terms of color and cut. I have checked out a few more websites, including wildfishgems (very expensivefor what they currently have) and atggems where I saw one unheated with GIA report and have requested to see if I can get more pictures or a video

Screenshot_20211125-210221_Samsung Internet.jpg

VividRed · Nov 26, 2021

I like Gary’s stone a lot, but find it expensive. There is a significant premium when buying from US based vendors who travel to Asia and buy the stones themselves. All these costs are priced in and they probably make for 30% of the listed price. Add margin, etc etc.

Assuming 8k is within your budget, and if you want to have a fair comparison, ask Inken at Enhoerning Jewelry to see what she can source, heated and unheated.

elle_71125 · Nov 26, 2021

I’m one of those people that adores a super saturated pad. I’m all about those vivid sunset colors.

I think the pad from Gary is gorgeous! It looks to have more pink but the indoor shot shows the orange in there too.

CBianco · Nov 26, 2021

VividRed said:
I like Gary’s stone a lot, but find it expensive. There is a significant premium when buying from US based vendors who travel to Asia and buy the stones themselves. All these costs are priced in and they probably make for 30% of the listed price. Add margin, etc etc.

Assuming 8k is within your budget, and if you want to have a fair comparison, ask Inken at Enhoerning Jewelry to see what she can source, heated and unheated.

Agreed, they also need to make money

It is a little more than what I'd like to pay for a heated one. I have sent a request on Inken's website to see what she can find, so we'll see. Thank you so much!

demantoidz · Nov 26, 2021

cocobianco said:
Agreed, they also need to make money It is a little more than what I'd like to pay for a heated one. I have sent a request on Inken's website to see what she can find, so we'll see. Thank you so much!

Definitely worth reaching out but they can also be pricey. If its any help at all regarding what to expect, this sold one was listed at 6k: