Consumer enthusiasm turned to outrage when it was discovered that these stones had been colored by a radical new treatment method. In the late 1990s, the world gem market experienced a sudden influx of Padparadscha sapphires. These rare sapphires command many treatments have been developed to create padparadscha-like color in sapphires. Some experts insist that true padparadschas can come only from Sri Lanka, which, for centuries, was the only source of this coveted stone. Today, some define the gem's color as a blend of lotus and sunset. Padparadscha sapphires are mainly found in Sri Lanka, as well as Madagascar and Tanzania. Most lotus blossoms are far more pink than orange, and in ancient times, padmaraga was described as a subvariety of ruby (cf. Padparadscha is derived from the Sanskrit/Singhalese padmaraga, a color akin to the lotus flower (Nelumbo Nucifera 'Speciosa'). But the original use of the term was somewhat different. padparadscha is narrowly defined by Western gemologists as a Sri Lankan sapphire of delicate pinkish orange color. To be named a Padparadscha, the gem should exhibit both colors.

They are strikingly beautiful and almost no other colored gemstone compares to their unique mix of pink and orange. Padparadschas are among the rarest gems on the planet. Padparadscha sapphire is a special variety of gem corundum, featuring a delicate color that is a mixture of pink and orange – a marriage between ruby and yellow sapphire.

Padparadscha sapphire jewelry