Tanzanian Padparadscha
ENCYCLOPEDIA · SKYJEMS
Tanzanian Padparadscha
- Key concepts
- tanzanian padparadscha, padparadscha sapphire, pink orange sapphire, umba padparadscha, padparadscha colour
Padparadscha is the pink-orange sapphire named for the colour of a lotus blossom, and it is the most argued-about name in coloured stones. Sri Lanka is the classic source and some purists will accept nothing else. Tanzania produces the colour too, and whether a Tanzanian stone may be called padparadscha is a genuine trade disagreement rather than a settled fact.
What the argument is actually about
Two things, and it is worth separating them.
The first is colour: padparadscha must hold pink and orange together, in balance, without collapsing into either. A stone that is simply orange is an orange sapphire; one that is simply pink is a pink sapphire. That test is the same whatever the origin.
The second is origin, and this is where opinion divides. Some houses reserve the name for Sri Lankan material as a matter of tradition. Laboratories increasingly grade the colour on its own terms. We describe origin and colour separately so you can apply whichever standard you hold, rather than deciding it for you.
Treatment
Both heated and unheated stones exist in this material, and the difference matters to price. Ours are recorded individually rather than as a group. Review each listing and its documentation for the individual gem, and ask specifically — with padparadscha the treatment question and the naming question are often confused, and they are separate.
Reading the lab report
A report on padparadscha states species = corundum, variety = sapphire, and describes the colour; some laboratories will use the term padparadscha, others will describe the hue and leave the name to the trade. Treatment is recorded. GIA is the laboratory we lead with, and where a stone carries a GIA report we list its number on the product page.
What to look at
(1) does the stone genuinely hold both pink and orange, in daylight rather than under a lamp; (2) is the colour even across the stone; (3) treatment, asked specifically; (4) clarity; (5) whether the price reflects the colour you can see rather than the name on the label.
Skyjems inventory snapshot
Browse sapphire at /collections/sapphire. Skyjems' selection changes as stones are added or sold; review each current listing for its own documentation.
Private viewings
Contact Skyjems at +1-416-366-3335 or visit Skyjems' private-viewing page.