Pink Sapphire
From pale baby pink hues to intense hot pink and every colour in between, pink Sapphires are the perfect engagement ring stone, especially if your budget doesn’t allow for a pink Diamond.
Each stone is different and choosing them in person is definitely important if possible. The Sapphire will also change slightly depending on the colour of the metal you choose to craft your ring in.
The King Sapphire
Padparadscha (pronounced pad-pah-raj-ah) is an extremely unique pink Sapphire. It is their rare blend of pink and orange colour that makes them like no other stone. They are often referred to as THE KING SAPPHIRE.
It is their striking beauty and exotic colour for which they are named after, Padmaraga meaning Lotus blossom (Padma = lotus. Raga = colour).
Our Padparadscha Sapphire collection is from Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Colour
Pink Sapphires are found in nearly every shade of pink you can possibly imagine. Some look like candy, reminding us what mother nature can create, they are truly remarkable. There are two main locations in the world these beauties are mined at, Sri Lanka and Madagascar.
Some colours like hot pink are so incredibly intense, they look nearly fake. When we source our Sapphires, our desire is to find stones which are natural, unheated or with standard low temperature heating only. We do not sell irradiated stones, where the colour is obtained unnaturally.
Cut
Every Sapphire starts in its rough form, the way it is found in its natural raw stage. Every piece of rough is analyzed and checked for colour, inclusions and shape, which will determine its future. Many stones will never be faceted, due to their poor quality. The stone is then preformed into a rough shape and faceted into the beautiful Sapphire you choose.
Ideally when cutting a gemstone, the goal is to waste as least as possible. Each stone is cut for the highest carat weight as possible. Like weighing items in grams, carats are the same, just weighted on jeweller’s special scales. When looking at purchasing a gemstone, looking at the proportions (measurements) is very important, because two stones which weigh the same could be completely different proportions, one could be much deeper and smaller in appearance.
Treatments
There are ways to improve the look of stones which are akin to what nature does naturally and are widely accepted, but then there are treatments to stones that are a little more interfering with nature.
Standard heat treatment in Sapphires and many other coloured stones is common within the jewellery industry and we are very open about it.
All of our Ceylon Type Pink Sapphires are independent Laboratory certified (some with origin, stating where the stone came from) and the certificate states if the stone has heat treatment.
We do not sell Sapphires which have been beryllium heat treated or irradiated.
Their Make-Up
Like all Sapphires these stones fall into the family of gems known as Corundum. The differences to their usual aluminum oxide base, they owe their colour variation to the added elements of chromium (giving the red-pink colours) and iron (more yellow colour) with sometimes a small amount of vanadium (seen in the purplish colours). Higher chromium presence creates darker pink stones.
On Moh’s scale of hardness these stones are a 9. Which is where they are perfect for engagement rings as their hardness and scratch resistance nature will handle everyday wear.
Our custom made process
When you choose to custom make a ring with us, we start by helping you choose the right stone, design and metal. The best way to choose your Sapphire is in person, because all coloured stones react to different lights. If this is not possible, we always do our best to show you images and videos of each stone in different light. Natural outdoor daylight is the best.
It is not until you see several stones side by side, that you realise they are so different from each other in their colour hues and usually one stone will stand out.
