Written by Bérengère Treussard - Monday, June 6, 2011
The Padparadscha… such a poetic chime for this word of Sinhala origin whose literal meaning is "the color of the lotus flower at sunset".
Behind this name hides a sapphire that is not blue, but an orangey-pink.
Mr. G. Robert Crowningshield, a gemologist who died in 2006 and one of the founders of the GIA (Gemological Institute of America - the most renowned gemological laboratory in the world) wrote an essay in 1983 (« What’s In a Name? » Spring, 1983, Gems & Gemology, pages 30-36) to determine which characteristics can allow a sapphire to obtain the designation of Padparadscha and describes this color as delicate; the debate remains open...
I would say this color is simply exquisite... for someone like me who loves pink sapphire, Padparadscha is simply the ultimate dream...
From this ultimate dream,
Harry Winston, famous New York jeweler, Ukrainian emigrant who arrived in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century with his family, established the brand in 1932. He died in 1978 but the brand is still active today. Indeed, in the United States more so than in France, the Harry Winston brand has become a common expression to designate an atmosphere of luxury and wealth.
So much so that the evocative power of this name is often used in works of fiction like the 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the song « Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend » sung by Marilyn Monroe, includes the following sentence:
« Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it »
boop-boop-a-doop…