Opinion on potential padparadscha sapphire

[bcandy]

Hi PriceScope! My boyfriend and I have been lurking on PS for a couple of months and soaking everything in. We're both brand new to the world of gems, but we've been on the hunt for a padparadscha sapphire for my engagement ring Preferably unheated in the 2.5-3ct range. I don't know his exact budget but he knows 3ct stones can be in the 15k+ range.

We've visited some local shops but have only seen able to see one pad in person, though we've looked at pretty much every pad from the PS list of recommended vendors. Then, we stumbled upon a 2.05ct sapphire on planetarygems for <$2k (!), potentially a pad -- there is no cert and we're probably sending it off to AGL for certification to at least verify this is an unheated sapphire. Alarm bells ring that this is too good to be true, and we read the other PS threads on PG, but Rudy gave us an extended return period, so we decided to give it a shot.

So, having only seen one pad in real life, our questions are:

• Could this be a padparadscha?
• If it's not, is $1750 for an unheated pink sapphire of this cut/clarity a fair price? How does the cut look?

Personally, I think this stone is really pretty, and would be open to it being "the one" for the ring even if it doesn't come back as a pad. However, this is a bit lighter than I had envisioned - I wanted a more saturated pad (like those iconic pad photos I've seen on this forum) but not sure how realistic that is for unheated, and perhaps this will look different once set.

We had a tough time taking photos, but here are a few:

Vendor pic (yes, only one):

**photos removed at request of OP**

Apologies for the long post! Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Bron357]

Ok, first thing, I’m no coloured gem expert but that’s not a Padparadscha sapphires in my humble opinion. Secondly, Pads are the big trend right now (thanks Eugene). So not only is there strong competition for a good gem, prices are sky high and any pink sapphire showing the slightest tint of orange becomes a Padparadscha.
The gem in the photo seems just pink with a minuscule bit of orange. It also looks like it is quite silky, that’s what makes it look hazy, so it may be unheated. Sapphires are heated to improve clarity as it dissolves those silk rutile needles that give a sapphire a hazy look.
The gem looks quite insipid to me. If it isn’t making your heart sing, I’d pass. Don’t buy the first one you see, better examples are out there.
Other experienced PSers should come along and advise and point you towards vendors with better gems.
Personally, as much as I love Pads, now isn’t the time to be trying to buy one because you’ll be paying extra big $$$$ to buy one.

 

[doberman]

Sapphires are tricky to photograph(esp pads!), but it does look like a pad sapphire to me. That being said, I'm not crazy about it. There's seems to be some windowing/extinction going on, but it may just be the lighting.

 

[pwsg07]

It is peach colour and I think this is a pad. Does the stone look brownish? Any colour zoning or colour shift? I have not experience any pad in real life. Does the stone look silky? What is the inclusion? The stone has a lot of brilliance but I don't think your photo demonstrating the stone clearly. Please show us some photos with the stone face up or you could take a video, put it on the youtube and post it here. The only thing that I don't like is the proportion of the shape of the stone.

 

[ShinyPink]

I know nothing, but I did think there would be more orange. All I keep thinking was "HOW MANY lights did he have on that stone?"

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I think this pink sapphire with a touch of peach may be a good alternative. The inclusions are not at all distracting in the video.

https://gemfix.com/gems/sapphire-pink-13-485

 

[Jbows]

I knew I hadn't drooled over this one the other day for nothing! I don't know anything about pads so this one may be too included to be good but I just think the color is super pretty.
http://rogerdery.com/gems/padparadscha-sapphire-oval-1801078/

 

[ShinyPink]

I knew I hadn't drooled over this one the other day for nothing! I don't know anything about pads so this one may be too included to be good but I just think the color is super pretty.
http://rogerdery.com/gems/padparadscha-sapphire-oval-1801078/

I LOVE that color! But I know nothing else...

 

[Cockatiel]

So, having only seen one pad in real life, our questions are:

• Could this be a padparadscha?
• If it's not, is $1750 for an unheated pink sapphire of this cut/clarity a fair price? How does the cut look?

Could it be a padparadscha? I would be surprised if a lab were to classify it as one. Pads aren't supposed to be morganite colored. Reminds me of a mauve lilac sapphire I bought when I first started collecting rather than a pad. Make sure you like it even at its worst (i.e. gray) state (inside your car probably) if you are keeping it. Can't comment on price....it's worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay for it. However when it comes to sapphires, there's no deals to be had, like almost never ever, usually.

 

[bludiva]

Are you open to preloved? I think this is such a pretty ring. I don't know anything about sapphires though so big grains of salt.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/2-83ct-no-heat-padparadscha-sapphire-cluster-ring

 

[chatoyancy]

Pads aren’t supposed to be peach stones, you are supposed to see pink and orange simultaneously.

 

[T L]

I would really want the vendor to get the lab report from AGL if I paid for it.

Please be careful with this vendor.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/planetary-gems-experiences.189786/

On a side note, if the photos are accurate, I would not be surprised if it came back as a padparadcha if it were unheated or just heated with no other treatment. I've seen peachier stones classified as padparadchas. However, if something is too good to be true, then it probably is.

 

[T L]

I knew I hadn't drooled over this one the other day for nothing! I don't know anything about pads so this one may be too included to be good but I just think the color is super pretty.
http://rogerdery.com/gems/padparadscha-sapphire-oval-1801078/

This looks very peachy to me. It looks even peachier than the OP's stone.

 

[jewelsforalltosee]

This ring is gorgeous!!

Are you open to preloved? I think this is such a pretty ring. I don't know anything about sapphires though so big grains of salt.

http://www.jewelsbygrace.com/2-83ct-no-heat-padparadscha-sapphire-cluster-ring

 

[bcandy]

Thank you all so much for weighing in! It doesn’t look hazy to our untrained eyes, and I don’t see any brown, but I think I am seeing windows at certain angles.

Would this dark area here be considered extinction?
**photos removed at request of OP**

Pad or no pad, we’re trying to figure out if I love it (though it worries me that the answer isn’t obviously yes), so I think we’ll take a couple of days before figuring out next steps.

@Jbows we did see that one but I figured at that size it’d be too expensive. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask
@T L yes, I did see that thread and we were worried, but Rudy has been cordial and responsive so far, and offered an extended return period so we thought we’d give it a try and do the cert ourselves if we loved the color. We figured from those threads that he wouldn’t provide a cert, especially since he said in our early correspondence that he couldn’t take any additional photos for us :/
@bludiva I am open to it! That ring is gorgeous but I’m not a halo girl...

 

[corundum_conundrum]

It looks really lovely in your videos--and I'm someone Rudy was a jerk to in the past!

The cutting is kinda bad. I wouldn't call the dark area extinction, but rather the half/half shadowing that sometimes plagues ovals and more elongated stones. In certain, often single source lighting, the stone will light up very unevenly on one side while the other side goes extinct or simply shadowy.

I find the color very pleasant, the light return a bit irksome, and yet I'm still not sure it would be counted as a true Padparascha by the powers that be (AGL). If priced accordingly, it might be a keeper--if it's priced like a true pad, I'm not so sure. In the first video I would say it's not a Pad, while in the second, I would say it is!

 

[chrono]

How important is the padparadscha name to you? If you like it but AGL says it's not one, will this hang inside your head forever? Do you want something peachy or just light pink?

My humble opinion:
1. Pleasant baby pink. Not seeing much orange in both videos
2. Decent cut. The performance of the stone will probably bother me in the long run as an e-ring stone.
3. Design consideration will be a challenge since it doesn't pop in rose gold but seems all right against a white metal. What ring design and metal do you have in mind? Note that the challenge of this colour is that it tends to disappear into the finger as it blends too well with most people's skin tone.

 

[Arcadian]

I agree with TL and with Chrono. To me, thats a pink sapphire, its for sure not a Pad. RD's stone is closer to pad but even that, is not what I consider to be pad. (the report likely would come back as one however, and the cut is really nice)

This is one of the reasons why I passed on pad's in particular. The agreement of what is or isn't sometimes is left up to buyer/seller inerpretation except for when an independent lab worth its salt gets involved.

So let me ask you, if it comes back as a pink sapphire, then what? You're going into this thinking you're getting a pad, so be sure you are going to be fine with the final analysis. The price difference between a pad and a regular ol pink sapphire tend to be miles a part for obvious reasons.

Is your seller willing to also pay for the stone to be sent back AND for the report if it does not bear distinction of being called a pad? I think you need to really be sure you're OK with where this is going to go. Good on them for extending the return period, but honestly make sure you have everything in writing. You may well need that.

 

[LilAlex]

I think with your skin tone, if I'm seeing the photos correctly (and if one can say that sort of thing), I think a pad would be beautiful on you. I would go darker and richer, as some have said, even if it means settling for a smaller stone and a very simple setting for a few years. (Just don't wait 20 years to make it right, like spouse and I did.)

Imo, it doesn't matter if it's called a pad as long as it's beautiful or unless you plan to resell it online soon . If it's a little too pink or a little too orange, so what? There are cert'ed pads that are not super-attractive, imo -- just happen to be the right color family. With your budget, you can get something really special. There are some on AfricaGems that I admired (no affiliation) and I have loved this one from jupitergems on eBay for a long time but spouse won't let me buy it (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Natural-Un...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649). I'm new -- is it legit to post eBay links here? If not, mods, I'm sorry. I have zero trade affiliations.

I would not buy a stone that was not certed by a major lab. I would accept heat but nothing else. Enjoy the hunt!

 

[Jbows]

https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p389/3.46_ct_Ceylon_Padparadscha_Sapphire.html

I have no idea if this one is a good one (that’s for the more knowledgeable PS’ers to weigh in on) but I really like the cut and saturation

 

[chatoyancy]

https://www.finewatergems.com/store/p389/3.46_ct_Ceylon_Padparadscha_Sapphire.html

I have no idea if this one is a good one (that’s for the more knowledgeable PS’ers to weigh in on) but I really like the cut and saturation

This stone is what a pad is supposed to look like. Notice how it’s not a peach sapphire, but a sapphire that is simultaneously pink and orange. This is gorgeous. If you buy it, please, pretty please share a ton of pictures on here!

 

[LilAlex]

Now that finewatergems one seems orange to me!

I'm a fan of Hughes and love his books, and I've seen my share of actual lotus blossoms. That one is missing the pink, imo. Maybe his lab doesn't read his books? Could just be the monitors, though.

This is my classic Pad (on the left). This is from the 2016 Oscar Heyman catalog. Not that I shop there

 

[T L]

This stone is what a pad is supposed to look like. Notice how it’s not a peach sapphire, but a sapphire that is simultaneously pink and orange. This is gorgeous. If you buy it, please, pretty please share a ton of pictures on here!

I must be missing something because I only see peach and yellow in that stone.

 

[T L]

Now that finewatergems one seems orange to me!

I'm a fan of Hughes and love his books, and I've seen my share of actual lotus blossoms. That one is missing the pink, imo. Maybe his lab doesn't read his books? Could just be the monitors, though.

This is my classic Pad (on the left). This is from the 2016 Oscar Heyman catalog. Not that I shop there

Now that's a gorgeous stone if the color isn't photographically enhanced.

 

[Cockatiel]

Could be just the monitor, but the Finewater pad looks positively yellow on my screen. As in orangey yellow, or yellowish orange at best. Or it could be that my eyes focus on the yellowish parts of the stone mainly.

 

[Cockatiel]

My favorite pad is the one Leon set in a delicate five stone ring (or was it a three stone). That and the floral halo ring he made.

 

[T L]

Just for reference for color, this is a famous photo of a Sri Lankan padparadcha. It may or may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it has orange and pink in it. It also is a bit peachy, but rarely do you find a super saturated orange pink stone in a sapphire. In fact, the trade insists that padparadchas be less saturated, and "delicate" in color.

 

[whitewave]

I was going to recommend the fine water gems one

 

[chatoyancy]

I must be missing something because I only see peach and yellow in that stone.

I do see a lot of peach in the second pic from the left. I definitely see pink in the other photos. I also see a yellowish orange. I don’t think I was clear though. A lot of what I see advertised as pads, seem monochromatic, whereas this stone definitely has two distinct colors, plus some blending. I know this one is not considered an ideal color, but I prefer the more pastel pads.

 

[T L]

I do see a lot of peach in the second pic from the left. I definitely see pink in the other photos. I also see a yellowish orange. I don’t think I was clear though. A lot of what I see advertised as pads, seem monochromatic, whereas this stone definitely has two distinct colors, plus some blending. I know this one is not considered an ideal color, but I prefer the more pastel pads.

I think they have to be pastel in order to qualify as a padparadcha. We all definitely like what we like though.