

If it is too strongly saturated, then it might not be considered the traditional pastel colour of padparadscha by Gübelin standards.


If it doesn’t have the secondary pink or orange, then it could easily be an orange or a pink sapphire. It is the delicate mix of colours that make it so rare to find. To qualify as a padparadscha, the sapphire has to feature a combination of both pink and orange hues in a low to medium saturation. HM: “It is the pastel orangey-pink to pinkish-orange colour that defines the padpardscha. What gemmological quirks give the stone its trademark colour? The most known colour of sapphire is blue, of course, but the delicate colour that characterises a padparadscha sapphire is the rarest – gentle pinkish-orange or orangey-pink.” HM: “Sapphires come in a wide range of colours, just like a rainbow. What is it about the Padparadscha sapphire that makes it so special and sought after?

With the launch of this special ring, we speak to Gübelin president Raphael Gübelin and Helen Molesworth, director of the Gübelin Academy, about its creation and the gemstone that inspired it. The stone’s name is derived from the Sinhalese word padmaraga, which translates as ‘lotus coloured’ and so the ring uses 24 gem-set leaves, laden with cabochon and faceted sapphires and 550 diamonds, to recreate the bloom in gold. Known as Gem Island (or Ratna-Dweepa), Sri Lanka was the first place that the gemstone was discovered and remains the preferred source for gem connoisseurs. The design of the Gübelin Rising Lotus ring finds its inspiration in the homeland of the padparadscha sapphire, Sri Lanka. At the centre of this exceptional one-off ring is a 14.52ct Sri Lankan example of the gem that won over Princess Eugenie, finding a permanent home on her wedding finger. It is the to the padparadscha sapphire that Gübelin has paid tribute in its latest high jewellery launch, a single ring titled Rising Lotus. Warming, energising and utterly enticing. The faultless melding of pink and orange that creates the sought-after hue of a pitch perfect padparadscha sapphire is a thing of wonder to behold.
