Indeed, in ancient times padma raga was a sub-variety of ruby, as indicated by the Garuda Purana:ġ0. Wojtilla provides the following from a Sanskrit source under his description of ruby:Īrthasastra knows the following names: saugandhika (lotus-coloured), padmaraga (the same)…Įver look at a lotus? I’ve stuffed my snout into blossoms all the way from Beruwala to Badulla and have come up with only one conclusion – they are far more red than orange. Photos © Wimon Manorotkul (left) & Richard W. The ideal color of a padparadscha has been described by some as the marriage between a lotus flower and a sunset, each shown above in Sri Lanka. The term padparadscha is actually a corruption of the Sanskrit/Singhalese padmaraga ( padma = lotus raga = color), a color akin to the lotus flower (Nelumbo Nucifera ‘Speciosa’). At the top end, they may reach as much as US$50,000 per carat or more.įor many years now, padparadscha has been narrowly defined by Western gemologists as a Sri Lankan sapphire of delicate pinkish orange color. Prices for padparadschas vary greatly according to size and quality. Padparadscha sapphires are considered among the most beautiful and valuable of the corundum gems. Stones from each of these areas are often heat-treated and this is done at fairly low temperatures (1200☌ and below) and such heat treatment is not always detectable. However, fine stones have also been found in Vietnam’s Quy Chau district, Tanzania’s Tunduru district, and Madagascar. The original locality for padparadscha was Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and many purists today believe the term should be restricted only to stones from Ceylon.

The question of just what qualifies for the princely kiss of “padparadscha” is a matter of hot debate, even among experts.

Padparadscha sapphire is a special variety of gem corundum, featuring an often delicate color that is a mixture of red and yellow – a marriage between ruby and yellow sapphire. Om mani padme hum – Hail the jewel in the heart of the lotus Buddhist mantra Padparadscha Sapphire & the Ownership of Words A discussion of the definition of padparadscha sapphire, from early to modern times, along with the difficulty in standardizing such definitions.

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