Hardness: 9.00
Refractive Index: 1.76-1.77
Specific Gravity: 4.00
Birthstone:
Astral Stone:
Anniversary Stone:
Origination: Sri Lanka.
Care & Cleaning: All forms of cleaning are appropriate.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
Padparadscha is a pink-to-peach variety of the corundum mineral group.
This lovely pink to peach gem is seldom seen at retail.
A synthetic padparadscha made of lab-created corundum has entered the marketplace. It shares most of the same optical & physical properties as its� natural counterpart. Thus, the hardness, specific gravity and refractive index are all approximately the same as the gem found in nature.
Fancy orange sapphires have surfaced in Tanzania. Its supporters call it the �African padparadscha� but gem experts classify it simply as a fancy sapphire. Although these gems are generally quite small in size, some evidence of finished goods of over 2 carats have been found at retail. True padparadscha of this size would command tens of thousands of dollars or more on the open market.
Past cultures considered the padparadscha to be such a powerful gem that it could protect its owner long after the gem has been sold.
Some astrologers believe it has a calming effect which makes us more aware of our cosmic universe.
The padparadscha was assigned to the Brahmin Caste in India, the highest rank one can achieve.