Padparadscha Sapphires have certainly become popular in the past few years.  They were originally discovered in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), where the Sinhalese people have lived for centuries.  Locally the gem is referred to as padmaraga (padma – lotus flower; raga – color).   The orange, red and pink colors are caused by the inclusion of trace amounts of Chromium and Iron in the crystal.   Pink Sapphire are not the same as they only have traces of Chromium.   
 
More recently, this unique Sapphire has also been found in Tanzania and Madagascar.  Due to the rarity and cost of these naturally occurring Sapphires, Robert opted to purchase lab-grown crystals and subsequently faceted these two matching 8x6mm oval gemstones, weighing 3 total carats, and set them in Sterling Silver Post Earrings.   Lab-grown typically means that the content of these gems are identical to the naturally occurring gem which makes it very difficult to determine the difference.  However, because these are man-made, we can offer them at a fraction of the cost.
 
Sapphire is the September Birthstone, with blue being the traditional birthstone color.
 
Please be aware that the items in our photos are often much larger than actual.  This is done intentionally to give you a closeup view.