Pink Tourmaline Properties

Beautiful pink tourmaline owes its vibrant hues to manganese. Photo ©2019 EraGem Jewelry.   Pink tourmaline belongs to the vast family of borosilicates broadly referred to as tourmaline. Tourmaline forms in nearly every color on the spectrum. With a foundation of boron, silica, and aluminum, the addition of a number of other elements results in complex chemical formulations that resemble computer code. The variations seem almost endless, giving tourmaline the widest range of colors of any gemstone.  

Complex Chemical Composition

As I stated earlier, the formation of tourmaline begins with a mixture of boron, silica, and aluminum. Under extreme pressure and temperatures, this primordial mixture flowed across its host rocks picking up different elements along the way. Depending on where and when this flow took place, varied combinations of elements including calcium, chromium, copper (rarely), fluorine, iron, lithium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, and vanadium flowed into the mix. As a result, tourmaline comprises a group of closely related minerals, as opposed to a single mineral like most gemstones. All forms of tourmaline share common characteristics and properties. However, each one possesses a unique and complex chemical composition. As such, tourmaline forms in a wider range of colors and color combinations than any other known gemstone. (source)  

So Many Colors!

Black tourmaline represents the most common tourmaline color. Meanwhile, pink tourmaline occurs only very rarely. In fact, pink tourmaline is rarer even than ruby. In addition to pink and black, tourmaline forms fairly frequently in shades of blue, brown, gray, green, and red. Shades of orange, purple, white, and yellow appear less often. Though many tourmaline crystals form in solid shades of color, a large number of them form with multiple color centers. Indeed, tourmaline often forms with more than two distinct colors. Additionally, most multi-colored tourmaline specimens demonstrate polarity. Often, each color fades toward the center and then increases in strength at either end. Polarity illustrates only one of tourmaline's many unique properties.  

The Unique Properties of Tourmaline

Arguably the most distinctive property of tourmaline is its trigonal crystal formation. A trigonal crystal possesses three equal axes separated by equal angles that are not right angles. As a result, tourmaline forms in elongated crystals with a distinctly rounded triangular cross section. Another fascinating feature of tourmaline is its pyroelectric property. When rubbed or heated, tourmaline acquires an electrical charge. As a result, it attracts dust and other small particles to itself. Often, the particles cling most prominently to either end of the crystal, once again demonstrating the mineral's polarity. In addition, tourmaline is piezoelectric, which means the same effect occurs under mechanical stress, such as squeezing.  Furthermore, many tourmaline specimens demonstrate pleochroism. This means that when viewed from different angles, the crystal's color appears to change. In particular, the color appears darker when observed down its length (c-axis). On the other hand, it appears lighter when viewed at perpendicular angles to the c-axis. Tourmaline is extremely durable. As such, it is often discovered in stream sediments by artisanal miners. However, the largest specimens are found in course granite formations.  

Pink Tourmaline

Of all the tourmaline found, pink tourmaline remains the rarest. Jewelers sometimes call it rubellite, which describes a class of tourmalines that also forms in red, orange-red, brownish red, or purplish red. Most pink tourmaline crystals derive their color from the inclusion of manganese in the original mineral solution. However, some pink color centers emerge after exposure to radiation. Regardless of its color origins, pink tourmaline remains one of nature's most beautiful offerings. ~Angela Magnotti Andrews