Gemmologist’s Corner – Unusual Sapphires at O’Reilly’s

Padparadscha is a Sanskrit word used to describe the colour of a tropical lotus flower, the colour evokes sunsets, tropical fruits and flowers.

These sapphires have been trending for a few years now, kicked off by the engagement of Princess Eugenia marked by a padparadscha sapphire and diamond cluster ring.

Padparadscha sapphires are mainly found in Sri Lanka, as well as Madagascar and Tanzania, although the finest are thought to be Sri Lankan

The colour ranges from pink to orange with some stones being pinker and some more orange. Heat treatment is used to improve the colour, but this is deemed to be industry accepted.

We have several certified unheated sapphires in our forthcoming auction; Lots 202, 203, 209 and 210 –

The Colour change sapphire is another unusual stone not often seen, this strange phenomenon is sometimes seen in sapphires from Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Madagascar, the sapphire appears bluer in fluorescent light and purple in incandescent light (daylight).