GRADING REPORT OCSR054
- Identification: Natural Unheated & Untreated Sapphire
- Carat: 0.54
- Shape: Cushion
- Measures: 5.16x3.67x2.65 (millimeter)
- Color Grade: Very Good
- Tone: Medium Dark 70
- Color Zoning: None
- Clarity: Lightly Included
- Cutting Grade: Good
> Brilliancy: 50%
> Depth: 72% (51% lengthwise)
- Origin: Sri Lanka
- Treatment: None
Certificate No: IGI 380995069 & GIL2019031437975 (see 'more images')
Overall Grade: Good
Comment: Here is an opportunity to study (a few basics of) what is a padparadscha, and what's not. GIL, Canada and Bangkok, not a world-famous lab but definitely serious and honest people, certified this 0.54 as 'unheated pad' with 'orange-pink'. IGI in Belgium followed with 'unheated orange sapphire' and 'pinkish purple-orange' as color description. Obviously, 'Purple' killed the sought-after pad-sticker for the IGI assessors. No yellow, no brown, no purple in padparadscha, that is the iron rule. Also a pad is not supposed to be 'Medium Dark 70' but rather stay in the middle or brighter tone-ranges, say, Medium 55 to Light 25. Now, how is the gem IRL? On photo it loves to show the pink-red-orange side, and rather impressive, too, but keep in mind it's a 5x4mm gem. Personally, I do not get much purple interference in person but 'Medium Dark 70' is well below the ideal tone spectrum for pads. Check one image, shot sideways, with a mirror effect, that comes closest to a pad impression, but the ONE and ONLY point-of-judgment for gems is the front view, period. The local hand-cut is far from flawless, but, and that is a rare qualification which got the gem here, has spared us from a nasty window. The also rather abundant inclusions, and a small chip, would probably have become visible if the center would lack color and reflection (aka window) but luckily, you'll need, I need, a lens or our 36fold images to make out those details. (BTW, I do wear my reading glasses when judging clarity, nevertheless, this week I was told by a younger couple that they could see inclusions where I could not). All-in-all this is a charming, always utterly unique sapphire in good enough ladies' ring size. The two no-heat reports, pad or not, give you 100% security that nothing but nature has produced what-ever-color it is.
P.S. For the most expensive gems, say over $50k, two reports have become good manners to proof unheated status in ruby and sapphire.
