Western dealers and consumers now think of Padparadscha as a paler, almost pastel orange-pink / pink-orange, representing the Lotus flower once fully bloomed, or a softer ‘sunrise’ colour. Note the ‘light to medium’ and ‘pinkish-orange to orange-pink hues’. They state ‘It is the GIA’s opinion that this colour range should be limited to light to medium tones of pinkish orange to orange-pink hues’. However, in the 80s a GIA article was published offering the gem world their description of what a Padparadscha ought to be. Ultimately, the deeper red-yellow colour depicting the Lotus flower right before full bloom, or a deep ‘sunset’ colour is the colour of the original Padparadscha Sapphire for which the term was created. Sri Lankan dealers (where this gemstone is typically found) consider Padparadscha to be any blend of red, pink and yellow, and not specific to a particular tone or saturation. The Lotus flower goes through several different colour palettes throughout its life, starting with the deeper red-yellow, blossoming into a pink-orange, and ultimately a lighter pink. This has resulted in something of a game of Chinese whispers whereby both East and West think Padparadscha embodies a different colour.
While translating the Sinhalese word for ‘Lotus Colour’ into a different language is easy enough, translating what this colour truly represents culturally has proven more difficult. The term Padparadscha was coined by eastern gemstone dealers in reference to the stunning colour of the lotus flower just before blooming, which is a bright red-yellow! As this ‘saffron’ colour is holy in the East, this variety of Sapphire did not make its way to the West for some time, but once it arrived, confusion surrounding the colour started.
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