Many labs routinely reject pink-orange/orange-pink sapphires and do not grant the desired color descriptor if they find the saturation to be too light! (Happened many times to me and my stones). However, in practice, lab certification can work differently. Almost all Western gem laboratories ask for a light (“pastel“) to medium saturation in pad sapphire. Saturation is the most tricky aspect of Padparadscha certification.

It shows a slight grey modifier, but the orangey-pink color predominates in daylight. This 2 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified Padparadscha by several major labs, including AGL.

A sapphire with a strong grayish appearance will not be considered a Padparadscha by most labs. A low color saturation with a high value of tone often leads to a brownish or grayish appearance of the gem. Most labs will accept a wide range of tone (lightness/darkness), as long as the tone corresponds well to the saturation level. Tone is the least critical aspect of Padparadscha color. This 4 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified as Padparadscha by an Asian lab, but AGL (with good reason) decided it is only a ‘light purple’ fancy sapphire, although there is indeed a very slight orange modifier. It leans slightly to the orange side, making it a sunrise Padparadscha. This 2 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire was certified “Pad“ by AGL, and the color is so well balanced that almost any other lab would follow. Of the American labs, GIA tends to be the strictest when it comes to hue (see the round stone example below).ĪGL certified this 4 ct unheated Ceylon sapphire as Padparadscha, GIA disagreed and called it “pink sapphire“. In my experience, the New York based AGL is rather tolerant about purplish hues, but absolutely unforgiving about brown.

Some labs are very strict and exclude any yellowish (not orange) or lavender-purplish (not pink) color. If either pink or orange is very weak, most labs do not grant the pad label, and any hint of brown is a deal breaker for most of them. The color mixture between pink and orange should be well balanced.

Modern definitions of Padparadscha ask for a pink-orange (called type “sunrise“) or orange-pink (called type “sunset“) color.

Padparadscha sapphire gia