Pink Gemstones: A Guide to Colored Stones

Rose Quartz is a quartz gemstone with a delicate pink color that is available as both translucent to transparent pieces. Known for its association to romance, love, and calmness its soft pink color is quite seductive. This gem is affordable sometimes comes with a milky appearance. Rose Quartz is available in cabochon, carved, faceted cuts, and even comes as fancy Asscher cuts. Stones that have inclusions which cause a clear star effect are highly prized and are therefore very valuable.

Sapphire, arguably the most popular of all the colored gemstones is, therefore, a highly desirable pink gemstone. With a rise in popularity for colored diamonds pink sapphire is a very affordable alternative. Pink sapphire is of the corundum family which is known to be the second hardest material on earth second only to diamond. Pink sapphire is rarer than the favorite blue sapphire especially those with intense colors. The range of colors present in pink sapphire are vast and consist of bright pinks to pastel pinks. Color temperature may also vary from warm peach pink to cool violet pink.

Bright Pink Mystic Topaz is a new gem type, which emerged through a process known as thin film deposition invented in 1998. It is a natural gemstone which gets a coating that provides its color and is therefore available in various colors and even multicolor forms. This gemstone is considered a treated or enhanced gem because of the film used on it. The coating is found only on the pavilion (or the bottom) of the stone, so the top surface of the stone is natural Topaz.

Rhodolite Garnet is a bright raspberry-red color of garnet that is available in pink and purple too. Pink Rhodolite Garnets color ranges from rose pink to hot pink, and this seems fitting as the name Rhodolite comes from the Greek word for rose. Pink Rhodolite Garnet is a mixture of both Pyrope and Almandine Garnet, and its discovery, made in the USA, brought this gem type to the gems and jewelry market. Tanzania and Mozambique are now the primary sources of Pink Rhodolite Garnet.

Morganite is a member of the beryl family of gems that also includes Emerald, Aquamarine, and Golden Beryl. Morganite is a pink colored gemstone which ranges in hues from light pink to salmon colored pink. The name morganite, given to the stone to honor JP Morgan, was determined by George Frederick Kunz. Morganite is extreemely popular and an affordable gemstone that is always in demand. Morganite associates with harmony, love, romance, and is an incredibly beautiful gemstone.

Kunzite is a beautiful pink to violet gemstone of the Spodumene family named after an American Mineralogist and VP for Tiffany & Co., George Frederick Kunz. Kunzite, first discovered in the USA, is now mined in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where large kunzite crystals exist. For this reason, kunzite gemstones are perfect for cocktail rings and other statement jewelry designs that call for large stones. Be sure to protect your Kunzite stones from the sun as their color can be fugitive and will, therefore, fade over time. Kunzite jewelry is best suited for evening wear or on occasions.

Malaya garnet sometimes spelled 'Malaia' is known as a hybrid garnet because it is a mixture of Pyrope and Spessartite Garnet. This gemstone discovered in the 1960s was given the name Malaya from a Swahili word meaning outcast or prostitute. This outcast name was because miners could not sell this garnet because it didn't fall into any of the garnet categories that existed in those days. Later, Malaya garnet became cherished for its color and rarity as it is available in beautiful colors such as peach, pink, and even shades that resemble fine wines.

Tourmaline gemstones come in a massive variety of colors of which one is Pink. Tourmaline is gaining popularity in recent years due to its durability, versatility, and the fact that it comes in tons of colors and even bi-color specimens. The pink examples range from soft pink to electric hot pink hues, and many have brilliant purplish hues as well. Pink tourmaline is usually untreated which also adds to its allure, and it is affordable even in large sizes. The USA produced quantities of pink tourmaline in the 1800s and early 1900s, but nowadays most of the pink tourmaline gemstones available come from Mozambique.

Pink Spinel is a beautiful gemstone. An interesting fact about Spinel is it is often mistaken for precious ruby or sapphire. Composed of magnesium aluminum oxide Spinel comes in many colors and has incredible brilliance, hardness eight on the Mohs scale, and luster. The colors that are available include pink, dark-pink, light-pink, yellow, black, blue, red, orange, and purple-pink. These gems are perfect for any jewelry because of all their remarkable properties. The larger the Spinel and the higher the color, the more valuable it is and star spinel cabochons are incredibly rare and even more precious.

Pink Opal is a rare Opal variety that comes from mountains of Peru. This particular Opals value is from its color rather than its play of color like precious opal. Pink opal is the gemstone of Peru, and it is also known as Pink Andean Opal because of where its discovered in the Andes. Pink opal is generally available in a delicate pink hue and gems with a deeper pink color are rarer and more valuable. Pink opal is a bit more durable than precious opal, and it has a lower water content that makes it more stable than precious opal. This stone is beautiful and affordable it is a variety that deserves some attention.

Zircon is a very popular stone because of its brilliance affordability and durability. Pink Zircon is much rarer than the famous Blue Zircon, and of course, the white zircon is a favorite diamond substitute. Pink Zircon is a beautiful gemstone that can include violet hues, orange hues, and range in all sorts of intensities of color as well. Zircon is known to be incredibly brilliant, and its durability is also excellent. It is therefore perfect for all jewelry applications.

'Pearls' are gemstones that are formed organically by shell mollusks. They are very rare and made of nacre. Because of this, most pears today are cultured that means an irritant introduced to the mollusk shell has induced the production of a pearl. Pearls come in a variety of colors and sizes. The colors in which they are available are pink, white, silver, gold, and green. Pink pearls may have a silver pink hue or a peachy pink hue. Ther most valued and cherished pearls have a radiance that is known as orient.

One of the most prized varieties of quartz is Star rose quartz that has parallel aligned rutile that causes a star effect in the stone. Star rose quartz can have four or six-rayed stars they display when viewed under intense light like a flashlight or direct sunlight. When the source of that light moves, the star effect will move accordingly. The samples that are worth the most are ones that have very 'sharp' star effects. Star rose quartz come in a soft pink color that can range from translucent to transparent. Star Rose Quartz is appropriate for many types of jewelry especially pieces that will receive full sunlight like pendants or brooches.

Of all gems that display unique optical properties moonstone is the most affordable. This stone has been very popular, and as with fashion trends, this stones popularity will always return. Pink Moonstone cut in flower shapes and has a luminosity that is appealing and attractive. In cultures all over the world, moonstone has been essential and not only is it an important stone but it is also a stone associated with much folklore.

Pink Coral Gemstones are exquisite and have appeared in jewelry for centuries. Precious coral is a Gem that formed by calcium carbonate colored by carotenoid pigments made by coral polyps in deep ocean water. Coral comes in a large variety of colors including pink, salmon, red, white, and golden. Often Corals are cut as a cabochon, drilled as beads, or carved. There are many protected species of coral and countless others that are free to trade.

Smithsonite which is gemstone quality zinc carbonate was named to honor a British chemist and mineralogist named James Smithson. James Smithson was the first to describe Calamine as two distinct minerals of which one is Smithsonite. Smithsonite gems can appear in various colors which include; pink, purple, green, blue, turquoise and these colors display depending on trace impurities. Pink and Purple Smithsonite attribute their color to the presence of cobalt.

Pezzottaite is a rare collectors stone that is almost impossible to source. Named after Federico Pezzotta who is currently a curator at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Milan. Pezzottaite was found initially in Madagascar, where many other gemstones come from, but Madagascar has had their deposits exhausted. Recently some new deposits in Afghanistan were discovered and were believed to be cesium-rich morganite, but tests confirmed they are indeed Pezzottaite.

Rhodochrosite, a manganese mineral that appears with distinctive pink and raspberry red stripes is generally available as a cabochon cut gem, bead, and rarely a faceted gemstone. This gemstone has several other names in which it may refer as; manganese spar, raspberry spar, Inca rose stone or (Rosa del Inca). Rhodochrosites name comes from the Greek word for rose-colored. Rhodochrosite is a beautiful gemstone with endless combinations and patterns in which it can appear that are perfect for pendants, earrings, and many other jewelry applications.

Rhodonite is a gemstone of manganese silicate that gets its name from the Greeks. It is closely related to rhodochrosite as it has many similarities however rhodonite is much different in appearance because it has black dendritic inclusions. The pink portion of this gemstone may be a delicate rose pink or an 'intense red' color, and the 'black inclusions' may be plentiful or scarce. In occasional instances, Rhodonite forms as transparent red crystals that are faceted. The state gemstone for Massachusetts is Rhodonite. Australia, Finland, Russia and other locations around the world are all sources of Rhodonite.