Rising in a blaze of color, the 26.65-carat Phoenix Padparadscha sapphire lives up to its legendary name. Its vibrant color not only recalls the mythical phoenix but also reflects the meaning behind the name padparadscha, derived from the Sinhalese word for “lotus blossom”— a reference to the gem’s delicate, sunset-like hue. 🌅 Padparadscha sapphires are among the rarest and most prized sapphires in the world. Only stones in the pinkish-orange to orangey pink color range are classified as padparadscha by GIA. Gems over two carats are uncommon, and those over five are considered rare. The Phoenix, at an impressive 26.65 carats, combines intense even color with exceptional clarity, making it one of the finest known examples of its kind. This prized gem also hails from Sri Lanka, the most renowned source of padparadscha sapphires in the world. GIA gemologists observed that the Phoenix Padparadscha has internal characteristics highly consistent with sapphires mined in Sri Lanka. The stone displays unaltered transparent and opaque crystals, inclusion stringers, reflective particle clouds and fluid fingerprints. Solid inclusions that exhibit no visual evidence of alteration are a good indication that this sapphire had not been subjected to heat treatment. Linear color zoning consistent with natural corundum was also observed, but this zoning did not affect the face-up color appearance. Have you seen a padparadscha sapphire as exquisite as this? (fb)

Can you name this gemstone-producing U.S. state before the end of the video? 🗺️ Listen along as Alex G, GIA’s Research Associate for Colored Stones describes this gorgeous area. Leave your guess in the comments! 👇 (fb)