Historically known as the rarest and the most valuable corundums found in Sri Lanka, the Padparadscha sapphire, features a delicate combination of pink and orange, a hue in between a ruby and a yellow sapphire, resembling the tips of a new lotus flower at the dawn, the name derives from the Sanskrit term padmaraga for lotus blossom.
Although sapphires with pinkish and orange hues are also found in other countries, Sri Lanka is considered to be the true source for Padparadscha due to their unique colour hues and zones and purists believe that only the natural gem corundum with pinkish-orange hues sourced from Sri Lanka are fitting to be called padparadscha or padmaraga.
As per the Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee (LMHC) standards published in 2005 “Padparadscha sapphire is a variety of corundum from any geographical origin whose colour is a subtle mixture of pinkish-orange to orangey pink with pastel tones and low to medium saturation when viewed in standard daylight.
A definition which has since narrowed the grid of padmaraga gems available in the global market, providing them with a high market value and demand and providing Sri Lankan sapphire dealers with a unique advantage,
