There are unique minerals on Earth, the mere sight of which is simply breathtaking. They are amazing and divine. Jewelry with such inserts is the dream of any woman. They decorate outfits and are featured in the collections of famous brands. Such stones can lift your spirits and eliminate depression. This description fits perfectly with the Padparadscha gem.
History of the Padparadscha Stone
Sapphires belong to one of the varieties of the mineral corundum. Their traditional color is blue or purple in various shades. Another precious type of corundum is ruby. And all of them, oddly enough, are related to ordinary emery stone.
Helpful information
Padparadscha was originally classified as a ruby for its color. Only in the 20th century, after careful physical and chemical analysis, it was determined that it was sapphire.
The birthplace of the sun stone is Sri Lanka. On this island, rightly called the land of gems, hego has been found among ordinary blues since ancient times. The name means "lotus flower" in the local Sinhala language.
Place of Birth
Main source
Padparadscha stone is mined on the island of Sri Lanka, where the sun at sunset turns deep orange, like an orange, and the mineral seems to absorb all these rich colors. These deposits are considered the main source of high-quality gemstones.
Other countries
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In addition, padparadscha is also found in Tanzania and on the island of Madagascar. The stone trade is a closed business; foreigners are not even allowed into the mining sites. A rarity is padparadscha with a weight of 2 carats or more. Stones larger than 5 carats are considered valuable collectibles.
Physical properties
Two types of gems are considered real padparadscha:
- pink color gradually turns into red, then into orange (the phenomenon of pleochroism);
- the boundaries of the listed shades are clearly visible.
The unusual color of sapphire is given by an admixture of chromium in the chemical formula. Moreover, this element was exposed to high temperatures and radioactive radiation millions of years ago.
Among the crystals mined outside Ceylon, sapphires that are pure orange or have a brown tint are sometimes found. They are not genuine lotus stones.
It is very rare to find gems with an asterism effect: star-shaped microcrystals with four or six rays inside a large stone. Such specimens are valued much higher.
Sun-hued sapphires have a hardness of about 9 on the Mohs scale, which means they can only be processed using diamond cutters, and they themselves scratch glass. Their transparency and fragility are high. There are several types of crystal shapes:
- in the form of a barrel;
- bipyramidal;
- prismatic;
- lamellar.
Processing methods
The refining procedure helps create a pink-orange sapphire from colorless stones. During the processing process, the crystal is exposed to temperatures, which leads to a color change. Gamma radiation can also affect the shade of corundum.
The procedure is quite simple and has been known to jewelers for a long time; previously, sapphires were fired in quartz sand. Stones that have been processed are cheaper, and they often have defects:
- microscopic cracks;
- inclusions in the form of dots;
- cloudy color.
It is difficult to understand whether a crystal has been processed or not; sometimes even experienced jewelers cannot cope with this task. To determine the authenticity of a sapphire, a number of tests are used, on the basis of which a conclusion is made.
The stone acquires the desired shade, the color remains for a long time, only contact with reagents can damage the mineral. The sun's rays can affect the shade of a crystal over the years, but the process of color change is very slow.
Sapphire is an evening stone; it should be worn in the dark; under artificial light, the crystal shines with double intensity.
But jewelers don’t like sapphires; the crystals are difficult to process, and cutting them involves certain difficulties. But, despite all the disadvantages, orange-hued corundum is amazing, has complex energy and is not suitable for all people.
Gold ring with padparadscha sapphire
Magic properties
Hindus believe that wearing a padparadscha sapphire will help you quickly achieve a state of enlightenment. And, of course, this stone is intended for the harmony of love. For lonely people, he will find a “soul mate”, check the authenticity of relationships, strengthen the feelings of spouses, and prevent family breakdown.
Solar sapphire is also indispensable for businessmen: it broadens horizons, gives harmony of thinking, the talent of persuasive speech, protects against deception and falsehood, finds true friends, develops ambition and virtue at the same time.
Therapeutic effect
This type of sapphire is valued not only for its combination of different shades, but also for its ability to heal people. In Ancient India, people believed that touching this precious stone allows one to achieve enlightenment and spiritual harmony. Specialists in lithotherapy and traditional medicine claim that the properties of padparadscha are very extensive. The mineral is capable of:
- strengthen the immune system;
- cure asthma, bronchitis;
- slow down aging;
- improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- relieve pain and inflammation in joints;
- cure diseases of the kidneys and urinary system.
A frame made of white or yellow gold enhances the positive effect of the stone; a healing infusion of the mineral is also used for healing: the sapphire is infused in purified water for at least a day and the drink is consumed before bed.
Compatibility with Zodiac signs
The best compatibility with Padparadscha sapphire is in fire signs: Leo, Sagittarius and Aries. The stone corrects their impulsiveness, helps them get out of crisis situations, and find mutual understanding with partners.
A bright crystal will give self-confidence to a modest Cancer, and it will pacify the explosive Aquarius. Only stubborn and self-confident Capricorns should refuse such an assistant. If they have the opportunity, it is better to check compatibility: put the sapphire by the bedside. Good dreams near the stone indicate goodwill towards the owner; in case of nightmares, the use of padparadscha must be stopped immediately.
Colors
It is quite difficult to clearly define the color of padparadscha. Previously, it was believed that the stone combines three shades: pink, orange and red, in equal proportions. It was argued that every shade in a faceted crystal should be clearly and purely visible. There are such instances, but these are isolated cases. In addition, the color of the stone may also change during storage and use. Therefore, now padparadscha includes sapphires of warm colors, which combine shades of pink and orange in various proportions.
Decorations and prices
The price of a gem and products with it is affected by color, size, transparency, absence of cracks, foreign inclusions, and, first of all, its authenticity and the absence of additional processing (except for cutting).
The price per carat of a small crystal (weighing up to 2 carats) ranges from $1,000 to $2,000; for larger stones it reaches up to $50,000.
Padparadscha goes well with white or rose (not yellow) gold and platinum. It is framed with diamonds and pearls. The cut is carried out “emerald-like”, “diamond-like” or given an oval shape, so as not to reduce the size of expensive crystals.
Genuine solar sapphires are used only by large well-known brands, such as Cartier, Chanel, OmiPrive for high jewelery products, that is, of exclusive quality.
Stone care
Despite its hardness, Padparadscha is a fairly fragile mineral, so it is very afraid of mechanical impact: shocks, scratches. Therefore, such gems must be stored in individual boxes on a fabric basis and separately from other precious stones. Padparadscha is not afraid of direct sunlight and excessive humidity. To wipe the dust off it, just use warm water with a little soap. The cloth for wiping should be soft. Afterwards, the mineral must be rinsed using running water.
How to recognize a fake
Counterfeiting of precious stones is as old as time. The temptation to pass off a cheap crystal as a particularly valuable specimen has driven dishonest jewelers to make easy money throughout the ages. The Padparadscha sapphire did not escape this fate:
- The simplest thing is to pass off a slightly cheaper orange stone without color shifts as a rare stone.
- Counting on the complete incompetence of the client, they may sell orange tourmalines or other gems of a similar color.
TOURMALINE - Firing colorless transparent corundum, yellow or pink sapphires in a special furnace up to 1800 in a special mixture (charge) with chromium compounds turns them into orange stones. Hot processing leaves microcracks (fire marks) on the surface, reduces transparency, and the coloring is uneven.
- Diffusion with beryllium ions - the same firing in a furnace, but with finely ground chrysoberyllium stone ultimately gives the required result. However, the color changes only to a depth of 0.1 mm; the middle of the processed crystals does not change.
- Gamma irradiation of dim sapphires increases the color intensity, although over time the stones begin to “fade”.
- Modern technologies make it possible to produce artificial corundum crystals and then transform them using all of the above methods.
If, during the transaction, the seller discloses the treatment the stones went through before becoming jewelry, then the price should be lower and the customer will get a genuine understanding of the purchase.
Important information
The price of such products is several times cheaper than natural sapphires. In other cases, the sale of both refined gems and outright counterfeits is fraud.
To purchase an original, the buyer must focus on the famous names of manufacturing companies and the high cost of jewelry.
What do analysts say?
The first mining of orange-pink gems began more than 2 thousand years ago and is currently carried out in the lands of Elahera and Ratnapura on the island of Sri Lanka. Their deposits are sources of the highest quality samples of Padparadscha. No less amazing stones were eventually discovered in Vietnam, Tanzania, the northern regions of Madagascar and the coastal environs of Thailand.
From a physics point of view, everything is simple: ideally, corundum, which is a crystalline aluminum oxide, is colorless.
It is given color by:
- atomic metal impurities;
- crystal lattice defects;
- the energy state of the atoms that make up the crystal.
Padparadscha, scientists believe, can be any corundum that contains chromium in its impurities and that has survived a certain cycle of heating-irradiation effects. That is why, mineralologists explain, padparadscha is found only in old alluvial deposits (placers), and is not found in solid, undestroyed rock.
For corundum to become padparadscha naturally, it has to live a very long and difficult life. A person, who knows how to complicate the existence of anyone, also often takes up the creation of padparadscha...
Notes
- V.V. Dobrovolsky.
Geology, mineralogy, dynamic geology, petrography.. - Moscow: VLADOS, 2001. - P. 72. - 320 p. - Corundum and its varieties
- ↑ 1 2 Kadenskaya M.I.
Guide to practical classes in mineralogy and petrography. - M.: Education, 1976. - P. 193. - 240 p. - Kulikov B.F., Bukanov V.V.
Dictionary of semi-precious stones (Russian). — 2nd ed., revised. and additional - L.: Nedra, 1989. - P. 92. - 168 p. — ISBN 5-247-00076-5. - Evidence for the use of corundum abrasive in Egypt from the Great Aten Temple at Amarna (undefined)
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Usage
Granular masses of corundum (emery) and artificial corundum are used as an abrasive material. Artificial corundum was previously used in the manufacture of corundum needles (instead of expensive diamond ones) for electric record players. Transparent varieties of corundum (sapphire, ruby) are precious stones and are widely used in jewelry. Large, well-formed crystals are mined as collector's items. High-quality corundums are used in the manufacture of precision mechanisms, lasers and other optical devices[3]. Vacuum-tight pink corundum ceramics are used as an insulator with high thermal conductivity in the production of radio tubes and military-grade microcircuit housings. Leucosapphire, produced artificially, is used to make burners for high-pressure sodium lamps.
Microcircuit in a corundum ceramic housing
There is a known case of finding a processed stone with traces of corundum abrasive in Egypt, dating back to the era of the New Kingdom[5].
