corundum, color.4, quality.10, Sri Lanka.12, gems

Ever notice how gemologists and dealers toss the term padparadscha around like some kinda überrock. If the gem isn’t buff enough to make the centerfold of Gem & Gemology, it is sniffed at as a “lesser being” unworthy of the name. And when it comes to the crimson corundums, despite a decade’s worth of McCarthyism we Yanks still cannot sort out the difference between a pinko and a true red. By this point, I know what you’re thinking. Do I really want to continue reading? Straight out of the gate this man is three sheets into a gale-force Beat ramble. But follow me here, people. The crux of what I’m about to discuss is a desire – most human I admit – for a simple word to Separate something that has stymied the best minds of my generation. The question is whether or not a variety name should encompass hue position alone, or segregate gems of the same hue into different groups based on often poorly understood tone and saturation ranges – factors that often have a direct bearing on quality.