Cleaning gold jewelry is a straightforward process that can help maintain its shine and appearance. Here's a detailed walkthrough on how to clean gold jewelry:
General Tips:
Regular cleaning helps maintain the luster of your gold jewelry, ensuring it continues to look stunning for years to come.
by Assay Jewelers
]]>The famed “Padparadscha” Sapphire is a very special color variety of sapphire consisting of a delicate mixture of pink and orange. These magnificent gems have taken the market by storm and have begun to command premiums at top auction houses around the world.
Our story begins in the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka. South of India and overlooking the Arabian Sea, this region is rich with fine gemstones- specifically sapphires. While most of the finest gems from the island are Blue Sapphires, Padparadscha Sapphires were found exclusively in Sri Lanka until the last 10 years, where some were discovered in East Africa and Vietnam. However, the top quality stones that have appeared in the market have almost entirely been determined to be of Sri Lankan origin by the certifying lab.
Of course, in order to truly understand this gem, we need to go back to square one. The term “Padparadscha” is derived from “Padma Raga”, which translates from Sanskrit into “Lotus Flower”. The Lotus Flower, a beautiful pinkish-orange Lily Flower. It is the national flower of India, which historically shares borders and culture with Sri Lanka, as well as others. Padparadscha is thusly named due to the color of the flower. It has also been described more recently by Western Gemologists as a “sunrise” color. Regardless of the term, the ideal color range for Padparadscha Sapphires is objectively some mixture between pink and orange.
Considering that the only thing that classifies a sapphire as “Padparadscha” rather than a standard colored sapphire is the mix of its colors, there needs to be clear standards as to what color “Lotus/Sunrise” truly is; that's when it starts to get tricky.
Many sapphires that have looked far more pink than orange (and vice-versa) have been bandied about as Padparadscha sapphires. In today's world, where the provenance and certificate of the gem have just as much bearing on its value, if not more, than the gems quality, it is very important that we remain diligent in our characterizations of stones. Gemstones have become akin to brand-name goods (i.e: “Burma No Heat”; “Royal/Cornflower Blue”, “Vivid Green Muzo Mine”, etc), so we must be careful to not debase Padparadscha sapphires by assigning them to every stone with pink or orange hues.
Richard W. Hughes, a world-renowned gemologist and founder of Lotus Gemology, published the following compendium about Rubies and Sapphires, his area of expertise over his decorated career. In the Padparadscha section, he takes some time trying to make sense of what color range is objectively a Padparadscha and how it should be defined/measured.
The author surveyed gem dealers to outline the specific color range for Padparadscha sapphires. While there was no clear consensus or conclusion, the “sunrise” or “lotus flower” descriptions are not far off. For example, the photo used to show Padparadscha sapphires amongst other color types shows a pastel, delicate pinkish-orange stone. And while his color survey showed some diversity of opinion, the contrast was not very sharp.
While color is the most important aspect of the stone, Padparadscha Sapphires are often cleaner than their other top-gem counterparts, such as rubies and emeralds. They are also most valuable when left untreated by heat treatment, a commonly employed clarity enhancement for sapphires and rubies. Prices for top Padparadscha Sapphires have hovered around $30,000 USD per carat, but in the last few years we have seen some go at auction for over $50,000 per carat. For example, in November 2017, Christie’s International Auction sold a 28 carat Orangey-Pink color (per SSEF) Padparadscha Sapphire for nearly $2.5 Million USD. This is in stark contrast to Christie’s June 2005 Jewelry Auction, where a nearly 21 carat superbly-colored Padparadscha sold for $375,000 USD. While the photos don’t do it justice, the stone from 2005 is perhaps the quintessential Padparadscha color and was a relative bargain. It is a stone growing in popularity, and consequently, in price.
Padparadscha Sapphires have burst onto the scene in the world of fine gemstones. They are exceptionally rare, of legendary color, typically clean, and command high premiums at auction. While famed, they are still a bit of an unknown, especially in a rapidly growing and rapidly changing gemstone market. The Padparadscha Sapphire captures the essence of what draws us to gemstones in the first place- the mystery and allure of these miracles of nature.
Assay is proud to offer a one of a kind 9.10 Carat No Heat Ceylon Padparadscha Sapphire, mounted with a mixed cut diamond halo and 18k white gold setting.
Sources:
What is the difference between CVD and HPHT Lab Grown Diamonds?
While HPHT diamonds are more closely connected to the typical growth patterns of mined diamonds, CVD growing is known to produce finer stones, as it is a newer growth method.
What are CVD Diamonds?
CVD stands for Chemical Vapor Deposition – a process where machines use a vacuum method to compile atoms and form solid materials. Researchers discovered they could use this process, which was popular in the semiconductor industry, to grow diamonds, as diamonds are made purely of carbon atoms.
CVD Lab Grown Diamonds have just one growth plane, whereas the older HPHT method grows diamonds with 14 growth planes.
CVD was introduced as a method to grow gem-quality diamonds in 2003, and quickly became an attractive alternative to the HPHT growth method because it did not require the extreme pressure and heat that HPHT does – leading to diamonds with more luster and creating fewer chemical emissions.
What about HPHT?
HPHT (High Pressure High Temperature) was the original growth method for synthetic diamonds. A tiny diamond seed is treated with extreme temperatures and pressures, meant to replicate the extreme conditions deep within the earth where natural diamonds form.
HPHT Lab Grown Diamonds typically have 14 growth planes, in comparison to just one for CVD Lab Grown Diamonds.
General Electric became the first to grow synthetic diamonds in the 1950s using this method, and in 1970 presented the first gem-quality lab-grown diamond to the world.
Are the prices different?
Prices for both types of lab grown diamonds are typically the same if the stone's quality is otherwise even.
How can I tell them apart?
While not easy to discern to the naked eye, lower-quality diamonds do have unique differences. HPHT Lab Grown Diamonds, for instance, may look less brilliant than comparable mined diamonds, as growing the stones oftentimes reduces luster.
As for CVD Lab Grown Diamonds, lower-quality stones may be slightly brown or gray in color if they are grown too rapidly. Fine CVD Diamonds typically take weeks to grow, though some manufacturers aim to grow diamonds within a few days – at the expense of the diamond's quality.
]]>