New padparadscha pics

[marcy]

It is a very pretty color.

 

[oddoneout]

Pretty colour.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I really love the delicate colour and hope that it comes back in your favour as both natural unheated and a padparadscha! Good luck!

 

[Nashville]

I can say now, I never knew what people were talking about when they would start threads (like this one!) about how hard it was to source a stone that's not diffused, heated, or otherwise treated. This whole process is messing with my head.

For me the only thing about this whole pad obsession I have is that I want size, but I don't have the budget for *the* perfect pad color, in a 2ct or larger, and still have it be all natural.

When and if I find the perfect stone, it will be made into a ring. Very delicate 18k white gold split shank halo setting with white diamonds. And it will be an all natural pad from Sri Lanka, unheated, untreated, or nothing at all!!

 

[Nashville]

Returned the pad. It was unheated, but the color just wasn't there. And I am attached now to the idea of owning a padparadscha, not just a pink or orange sapphire.

Also some questionable customer service upon my return, when the seller scolded me for not returning the 25 cent flimsy white paper box that housed the wooden box the gem came in. He told me that now when he resells the gem, he won't be able to put it in a box... um, ok? Then he charged me a non refundable $20 charge for shipping, after I had spent $30 sending the gem back 1st class express and fully insured... per their request. FWIW, the postage charge on the box when the gem arrived last week was 9 bucks.

The funny thing is, I was actually considering them for another project I have in mind, but now I'm not going to, because frankly I don't enjoy hassle. I feel like a seller should be doing what they can to ensure the buyer has a good experience. Not send them a nasty email about failure to return a paper box and then add bogus handling charges. I'll also most likely tell others to avoid them in the future (but not here, I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble).

So the search continues on, with no end in sight...

 

[Indylady]

The saga continues! The journey to a pad, an epic adventure indeed!

ETA: Ok, ok, I realize that I'm a troublemaker..could it be Platnetary Gems? Feel free to tell me that I'm wrong, or that its none of my business!

 

[Nashville]

It really is! I'm looking at this kind of like being in labor. All this searching, gem expos, fakes, purchases and returns, are all my labor pains and then the payoff will be a beautiful padparadscha baby of a ring for me to love forever.

 

[Nashville]

The saga continues! The journey to a pad, an epic adventure indeed!

ETA: Ok, ok, I realize that I'm a troublemaker..could it be Platnetary Gems? Feel free to tell me that I'm wrong, or that its none of my business!

Edit:

 

[TravelingGal]

pad hunts are messy...not sure I would do it again. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't!

The stone looked pretty, sorry it didn't work out! Padparadscha is so so so hard to photograph, so I feel your pain.

As a pad owner, I'd ask you, do you for SURE have your heart set on one? I love the stone for the ring I made for my daughter. And because of what I went through (and Richard Wise being an up and up kind of guy) I got it for a good price. But I will admit, I wonder from time to time what my money would have gotten me if I decided to go for a less elusive (and iffily - if that's a word - marketed stone.) I love my ring because it's simple, subtle and very wearable. But it isn't going to wow anyone...pretty much only you will know what a padparadscha is, and I think a lot of people do want people to admire their engagement rings.

Also, for the average budget, it's hard to afford that "perfect" pad color, whatever that is. I love the color of my stone...it's always changing and surprising me. I still stare at it trying to determine its personality and I've had it for over a year now. Sometimes it's pale pink with a tinge of orange. Other times it's salmon. Other times it's sunset orange. I didn't use to see any modifiers in it, but now in certain lighting, my eyes can detect small amounts of brown. But it's so hard to say, because in a flash, I just don't see it anymore.

My point is, a pad will usually keep you guessing. Sometimes I wonder what I really have in my posession, even though it is certed by a reputable lab as an untreated padparadscha. Maybe another lab would call it something else.

A lot of people around here go on about how a pad is a marketing term and you are overpaying. And I think that is true...you WILL be paying a premium if you buy a pinkish orange sapphire labeled padparadscha. So good that you are getting certed and hopefully someone trustworthy is helping you on your hunt. But I do think if you loved the color of this stone, you should have kept it, because it seemed very pretty and I think it would be even better to get a "padish" color for a great price. Why do you actually need the certification and the name that goes along with pad? Because if you do, you are subscribing to the marketing.

I can understand, because I wanted something unique for my daughter's ring. I also wanted it to be unheated. But I can say that I sure would have loved to get a color I loved (namely, the stone I have) at a "regular" sapphire price if that meant the price was substantially lower than what I paid.

Sorry for the ramble...good luck!

 

[T L]

Returned the pad. It was unheated, but the color just wasn't there. And I am attached now to the idea of owning a padparadscha, not just a pink or orange sapphire.

Do you want a padapradscha because of the marketing name and the fact that it's a sapphire (which in of itself is marketed more highly than other gems). Or do you like the stone because you like the pink-orange color?

You do realize that spinels can come in the same color as padparadscha for substantially less, and they are untreated. However, if you have your hopes set on a padparadscha sapphire, that's a different story.

 

[Nashville]

Returned the pad. It was unheated, but the color just wasn't there. And I am attached now to the idea of owning a padparadscha, not just a pink or orange sapphire.

Do you want a padapradscha because of the marketing name and the fact that it's a sapphire (which in of itself is marketed more highly than other gems). Or do you like the stone because you like the pink-orange color?

You do realize that spinels can come in the same color as padparadscha for substantially less, and they are untreated. However, if you have your hopes set on a padparadscha sapphire, that's a different story.

Yes, I do realize that spinels come pad colored. I want a sapphire, no heat or treatment. I want it for my favorite color, which happens to be pinkish orange. I don't want just pink or just orange, I want an equal mix of both. I don't want traces of brown or yellow either.

I'm not buying into marketing gimmicks or second rate stones pawned off as "Padparadscha." I'm definitely taking my sweet time! It's been nearly a year now But yes, it has to be a sapphire.

 

[Nashville]

pad hunts are messy...not sure I would do it again. In fact, I'm sure I wouldn't!

The stone looked pretty, sorry it didn't work out! Padparadscha is so so so hard to photograph, so I feel your pain.

As a pad owner, I'd ask you, do you for SURE have your heart set on one? I love the stone for the ring I made for my daughter. And because of what I went through (and Richard Wise being an up and up kind of guy) I got it for a good price. But I will admit, I wonder from time to time what my money would have gotten me if I decided to go for a less elusive (and iffily - if that's a word - marketed stone.) I love my ring because it's simple, subtle and very wearable. But it isn't going to wow anyone...pretty much only you will know what a padparadscha is, and I think a lot of people do want people to admire their engagement rings.

Also, for the average budget, it's hard to afford that "perfect" pad color, whatever that is. I love the color of my stone...it's always changing and surprising me. I still stare at it trying to determine its personality and I've had it for over a year now. Sometimes it's pale pink with a tinge of orange. Other times it's salmon. Other times it's sunset orange. I didn't use to see any modifiers in it, but now in certain lighting, my eyes can detect small amounts of brown. But it's so hard to say, because in a flash, I just don't see it anymore.

My point is, a pad will usually keep you guessing. Sometimes I wonder what I really have in my posession, even though it is certed by a reputable lab as an untreated padparadscha. Maybe another lab would call it something else.

A lot of people around here go on about how a pad is a marketing term and you are overpaying. And I think that is true...you WILL be paying a premium if you buy a pinkish orange sapphire labeled padparadscha. So good that you are getting certed and hopefully someone trustworthy is helping you on your hunt. But I do think if you loved the color of this stone, you should have kept it, because it seemed very pretty and I think it would be even better to get a "padish" color for a great price. Why do you actually need the certification and the name that goes along with pad? Because if you do, you are subscribing to the marketing.

I can understand, because I wanted something unique for my daughter's ring. I also wanted it to be unheated. But I can say that I sure would have loved to get a color I loved (namely, the stone I have) at a "regular" sapphire price if that meant the price was substantially lower than what I paid.

Sorry for the ramble...good luck!

Thank you for your input! I totally get what you're saying, and yes it is a maddening process. And I think for me, the issue was that I liked the color, but not enough to look at at every day and say "Wow. That's an amazing stone."

If I find the sapphire with the color I'm after and it doesn't say "Padparadscha" on the cert, that will be OK. I just think for the money I'm spending, I should be totally in love with the color, no doubt in my mind. I was kind of having nagging doubts about the first stone but kept saying "But it's what I want, this is what I want..." It wasn't, so that is why I returned. If that makes sense?

I don't think I buy into the almighty pad hype, but I do want that special and very elusive color. To me, your stone is one I could look at daily and just get lost in. I very much hope to achieve that with my ring.

 

[iLander]

You should buy exactly what you like and nothing less. You'll be the one living with it.

I came across this stone, maybe it will work for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-CUT-RARE-UNTREA ... 197wt_1139

I think it's gorgeous, but too small for me.

I think this seller has been mentioned before on pricescope, but not sure . . .

 

[T L]

Question to padparadscha experts. Are the African stones considered to be as fine in color as the Ceylon material? I know some purists don't consider the African stones true padparadschas even though some labs do.

 

[Nashville]

You should buy exactly what you like and nothing less. You'll be the one living with it.

I came across this stone, maybe it will work for you:

http://cgi.ebay.com/USA-CUT-RARE-UNTREA ... 197wt_1139

I think it's gorgeous, but too small for me.

I think this seller has been mentioned before on pricescope, but not sure . . .

I looked at this before. LOVE the color, hate the shape

I would be happy with 1ct.

 

[Arkteia]

Nashville, have you ever seen a padparacha? It happened to me a couple of times, when I was chasing "a name", not a stone. And it is one thing to buy a spinel which is still pretty affordable than to invest into a more expensive stone which saturation and color may not be too well seen on the Internet monitor? And all pics of padparachas that I have seen here left me unmoved for one reason - I suspect it is hard to appreciate the color of a lightly saturated stone. I saw Weblorn's stone and she is a wonderful seller... but I would have passed on it. Until iLander pointed it out.
If I wanted a pad, I'd try to see them first at a trade show. I can not give you advices, of course, but the color seems to be too elusive.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

Don't chase the trade name. I have learnt this, because I was chasing it at one stage. I don't know if every lab will certify my sapphire as padparadscha, but I no longer care. If you love the color, that's what matters.There will always be disagreements, and someone will always say or think "that's not a padparadscha". I hope you find a stone with a color you fall in love with.

 

[Nashville]

Nashville, have you ever seen a padparacha? It happened to me a couple of times, when I was chasing "a name", not a stone. And it is one thing to buy a spinel which is still pretty affordable than to invest into a more expensive stone which saturation and color may not be too well seen on the Internet monitor? And all pics of padparachas that I have seen here left me unmoved for one reason - I suspect it is hard to appreciate the color of a lightly saturated stone. I saw Weblorn's stone and she is a wonderful seller... but I would have passed on it. Until iLander pointed it out.
If I wanted a pad, I'd try to see them first at a trade show. I can not give you advices, of course, but the color seems to be too elusive.

Yes, I've seen 2. I should have posted a link to my first thread, in which I explain how it's been an almost 10 month search of gem expos and research. I was given the opportunity to closely check out 2 pads that were way way waaaaay out of my price range. But it was really helpful.

Again, I don't believe I'm chasing after a name, just a very specific color, that more often than not falls under a certain description.

 

[chrono]

Some stones are just more elusive than others but if you are patient, sometimes you will be rewarded. Not to discourage you or anything but it took me 2 to 3 years to find the right blue spinel that made me beam every time I look at it. In the meantime, I looked at so many stones in person and sent them back. It is good that you aren’t into buying the name and if it’s not considered a padparadscha by the labs, you’ll love it anyway because it’s the specific colour that you are looking for. Just be sure the vendor is charging you a padparadscha price if the lab says it isn’t one.

 

[Nashville]

I'm so glad I've gotten all this great advice, I think this site is an amazing resource, thank you everyone!

Chrono, that's fine I don't mind waiting! Gives me more time to bug you nice people with my questions

 

[agatha.nl]

this is one of my favorite colors and the stone is gorgeous!!!

 

[ededdeddy]

To me this looked like a pad and it sold but the GIT cert calls it a pinkish orange, in that sense I do appreciate that the lab made the distinction that it wasn't a pad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0487229450

 

[Nashville]

To me this looked like a pad and it sold but the GIT cert calls it a pinkish orange, in that sense I do appreciate that the lab made the distinction that it wasn't a pad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0487229450

Yeah, it is definitely pretty. From what I understand pads are supposed to have little to no brown, but I could be wrong as the definition is so varied.

 

[T L]

To me this looked like a pad and it sold but the GIT cert calls it a pinkish orange, in that sense I do appreciate that the lab made the distinction that it wasn't a pad.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0487229450

Yeah, it is definitely pretty. From what I understand pads are supposed to have little to no brown, but I could be wrong as the definition is so varied.

For the premium one puts on a padparadscha, I would expect little to no brown. That stone is way too brown for me to consider it if I were looking for a padparadscha. Has anyone seen very saturated top quality pink-orange coral? Regardless of what the labs say about saturation on a padparadscha, if I were looking for a padparadscha, I would be looking for a color similar to that. I have not seen any fine coral photos on the web, so I cannot show you what I'm talking about, but for those of you who do know, that would be my ideal pink-orange color. I don't get the fascination with desaturated orange-pink stones, and I guess I never will I have seen padparadschas IRL too, and they just don't impress me at all for the premiums charged. Maybe I haven't seen a top color one yet, and even if it were top color, according to the labs it would have to be desaturated, which makes absolutely no sense to me as to why the trade values them so much.

You see, you (anyone, not just Nashville) might like desaturated orange-pink stones and that's fine, I respect that. However, in the trade, most gems are valued based on their saturation of color, so to pay a significant premium for a desaturated stone (dark toned aqua is another example), makes no sense to me.

 

[ededdeddy]

Does anyone know if there is a good or decent example of a pad at the Natural History Museum in DC. I was there last fall but didn't recall one.

 

[LD]

Oh Nashville I'm sorry things haven't turned out for you. For what it's worth, I actually really liked the colour of your gem - for me, a Pad has to have that delicate colourway but I can understand how it can lack "ooomph". I've got one very similar (a little more saturated than yours) that I love, but any lighter I'm not sure it would have stood the test of time. I'm totally with you on the trilliant! Love the colour but the cut is bleurgh!

Take your time and you can bet when you stop looking, one will fall in your lap!

By the way, if you have bought from Planetary Gems, it would be helpful to do a review if you have the time/inclination. I've been so tempted on many occasions to buy from them but I think there's only Arcadian(?) and Indy(?) who have had experience of them. I've sent them so many emails but they regularly ignore me so I've given up with them now!

 

[Nashville]

Oh Nashville I'm sorry things haven't turned out for you. For what it's worth, I actually really liked the colour of your gem - for me, a Pad has to have that delicate colourway but I can understand how it can lack "ooomph". I've got one very similar (a little more saturated than yours) that I love, but any lighter I'm not sure it would have stood the test of time. I'm totally with you on the trilliant! Love the colour but the cut is bleurgh!

Take your time and you can bet when you stop looking, one will fall in your lap!

By the way, if you have bought from Planetary Gems, it would be helpful to do a review if you have the time/inclination. I've been so tempted on many occasions to buy from them but I think there's only Arcadian(?) and Indy(?) who have had experience of them. I've sent them so many emails but they regularly ignore me so I've given up with them now!

I think it will be like falling in love. Stop looking, the right one will come along. At least that's what I tell myself anyway! I'd be happy to write up a little review!

 

[TravelingGal]

Maybe I haven't seen a top color one yet, and even if it were top color, according to the labs it would have to be desaturated, which makes absolutely no sense to me as to why the trade values them so much.

You see, you (anyone, not just Nashville) might like desaturated orange-pink stones and that's fine, I respect that. However, in the trade, most gems are valued based on their saturation of color, so to pay a significant premium for a desaturated stone (dark toned aqua is another example), makes no sense to me.

TL, maybe because many clients find the color very pretty, and as is a testament on PS, finding the right one, especially hard to find, is really tough!

Supply and demand, is my guess!

 

[T L]

Maybe I haven't seen a top color one yet, and even if it were top color, according to the labs it would have to be desaturated, which makes absolutely no sense to me as to why the trade values them so much.

You see, you (anyone, not just Nashville) might like desaturated orange-pink stones and that's fine, I respect that. However, in the trade, most gems are valued based on their saturation of color, so to pay a significant premium for a desaturated stone (dark toned aqua is another example), makes no sense to me.

TL, maybe because many clients find the color very pretty, and as is a testament on PS, finding the right one, especially hard to find, is really tough!

Supply and demand, is my guess!

I'm afraid if I found the right one, for me that is, it wouldn't be considered a padparadscha!! LOL!

 

[agatha.nl]

I'm afraid if I found the right one, for me that is, it wouldn't be considered a padparadscha!! LOL!

me too, cuz i love nashville's stone