Gemstones are the heart of any great jewelry collection. Understanding the properties of gemstones helps us to appreciate their value. Ultimately, how gemstones make us feel, adds the 'soul' to our jewelry collection.
The padparadscha sapphire, representative of exoticism in the world of gemstones, is just beyond one's reach in a netherworld of wealth and privilege many of us can only visit in our imaginations. Thinking about this stone and wanting to possess its beauty for our own, conjures images of pursuing this ever so illusive stone in true "Romancing the Stone" fashion.
For one, I see myself riding in an open air jeep, baking under a searingly hot Sri Lankan sun, happily bumping along dusty roads deep in the interior of a strange land, my linen safari suit, crisp and white against my bronzed skin, wide-brimmed hat tipped low over burning, expectant eyes. In this dream-like vision, I find the stone. It is the rarest, largest and most valuable fancy padparadscha ever unearthed.
Color Stone Grading System
Rich descriptions, like pastel lotus blossom, fancy orangish-lotus blossom and tropical sunset are used in talking about the padparadscha sapphire, for color is the key to the padparadscha sapphire’s remarkable beauty. It's important to have an understanding of the GIA Colored Stone Grading System when considering the purchase of this stone, and all other colored gemstones. This is the grading system where the color, with its various hues, tone and saturation of color is listed.
There are three distinct charts referenced in the GIA (Gemological Institute of America); GIA Type Color Scale, GIA Type Tone Scale, and GIA Type Saturation Scale. The system is defined by the use of letters or a set of letters, followed by two numbers. The letters are abbreviations for and represent the Color and Hues visible. The capital letter is predominant, the small letter secondary. The first number represents the Tone of lightness or darkness of a particular gemstone. Tone is very important in the overall grading of the stone because it indicates the depth of a color. So even though a gem may have a good primary color, if it’s too light in tone, it will not be rich enough, while darkness in tone will sacrifice brilliancy and transparency of the stone. The second number in the sequence indicates the Saturation of color in the gem. Saturation is important to properly understand the amount and evenness of the color that is saturated throughout the gem.
For example, when grading a padparadscha sapphire, we may see ‘RO/OR‘ which indicates the primary colors in equal balance of ‘Red-Orange or Orange-Red’ and translates into the descriptive, orangish-pink (pastel lotus blossom). If this ‘pad’ had a tone/saturation of 2/3 it would indicate a very light tone with moderate saturation meaning a very slight brownish or very slightly grayish cast to the color. A stone such as this could be over $4,000 per carat.
If the tone/saturation numbers on this same stone were listed as 6/5 it would indicate that the gem has a ‘Medium-Dark’ tone and ‘Strong’ saturation of color. This gem would then fall into a higher grade category and become more expensive. To clarify further, a stone with the grading r/O 4/3 would indicate a ‘Pinkish-Orange (fancy orangish lotus blossom) with the orange more predominant than the red, with ‘Medium’ tone, and ‘Moderate’ saturation. A stone such as this would command a price range between $5.000 and $6,000 per carat. All prices indicated are a general estimate for stones with no evidence of routine heat enhancement.
Crystal Enchantments: A Complete Guide to Stones and Their Magical Properties
