Although most people think of Rubies and Sapphires as the red and blue popular and valuable varieties of corundum, a very durable mineral with a Mohs' ranking of 9, there is another group of sapphires even more treasured. In fact, many of these "fancy sapphires" are rarer than rubies and sapphires and hence, more valuable.
The recent popularity of pastel-colored gems has opened doors for pink and rose sapphires and prices of the natural gems have risen accordingly. There is some debate as to the most desirable color shade. Some believe the best pink sapphire to be the "hot pink" variety, a pure, vibrant color with no violet or purple. We have managed to produce this color in a Laboratory-Grown Sapphire material, which we named Lotus Blossom. It was successfully launched at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in January, 2001. We also produce Laboratory-Grown Rose Sapphire, which offers a little more reddish hue with less pink than the Lotus Blossom yet with less red hue saturation than our Laboratory-Grown Ruby.
Depending upon who you ask, Lannyte's Lotus Blossom may be described as a Pink Sapphire or a Padparadscha Sapphire. The debate is due to the fact that some conjure up images of luscious salmon slices when the name Padparadscha is uttered. Others perceive high-quality Padparadscha as possessing more of an orange hue. Lotus Blossom's color lies more on the side of pink/salmon. Our Laboratory-Grown Padparadscha possesses more of the fiery orange color and has traditionally been a hot seller for us.
We offer one other type of Fancy Sapphire, our Laboratory-Grown Green Sapphire. It, too, was first featured at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in January, 2001. Its color, a vibrant "apple" green is extremely rare in nature and thus, rather expensive. We have yet again provided a stunningly gorgeous and affordable alternative!