Pink Gemstones
1. PINK SPINEL
ORIGIN
Tanzania, Madagascar, Sri Lanka (the old Ceylon), Vietnam, Myanmar (the old Burma), Tajikistan.
For centuries, the main historic source of red and pink spinels has been modern day Afghanistan and Tajikistan; however, spinel has also been mined in Ceylon and Burma. A younger mining area known especially for these beautiful pink gems today is Tanzania.
COLOURS
Spinels come in many colours but the most coveted are the traffic light reds, vibrant pinks and exquisite pink-orange hues.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PINK SPINEL
Spinels have great hardness and transparency and often have far better clarity than pink sapphires or rubies! This adds to the spinel’s excellent sparkling brilliance thereby making it one of the top gemstones for fine jewellery.
HOW TO WEAR PINK SPINEL
"I prefer a red or pink spinel rather than a ruby or pink sapphire as spinels are more clean inside the stone than rubies and sapphires and can even sparkle more! (Except when you go for the best quality rubies and sapphires which are extremely rare and come with a hefty price tag)." says Eva Meijer.
Getting engaged? Try a lighter pastel pink hue. As spinels have a strong brilliance (in other words, they sparkle a lot), this variety comes close to a diamond but with a hint of romantic pink. Of course, if you prefer a statement ring, certainly opt for the deeper colours, such as its historic red and intense pink hues.
BY SEASONTwo famous old red spinels in history are:
The Timur 'ruby' has illustrious provenance too. Ranging from Mughal emperors to Persian rulers, and ultimately being acquired by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1813. When the British annexed the Punjab in 1849, they took possession of the Timur ruby (and the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond by the way) from the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. The East India Company then presented the Timur Ruby to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1851...
⭐️ For centuries, spinel has been mistaken for ruby and regarded as such in Europe’s crown jewels. It wasn’t until 1783 that the French mineralogist Jean Baptiste Louis Rome de l'Isle distinguished spinel as a different mineral from ruby, and this high quality gemstone has often been underappreciated ever since.
2. PINK SAPPHIRE
ORIGIN
Madagascar, Sri Lanka (the old Ceylon), Myanmar (the old Burma) and East Africa
COLOURS
Sapphires come in every colour but red → a “red sapphire” would be called a ruby. Rubies and sapphires belong to the corundum family. Although the most famous sapphire is the blue sapphire, pink sapphires are gaining momentum. That’s because these pink gems come in a variety of shades ranging from powdery hues, to bubble gum or ‘hot’ pink and everything in between.
There’s also the stunning and sought-after orange-pink padparadscha sapphire, whose name derives from the Sinhalese word for ‘aquatic lotus blossom.’ This stone has an extraordinary colour reminiscent of sunset.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PINK SAPPHIRE
Sapphire is an extremely durable stone with very good hardness and high brilliance which makes it one of the world’s top gemstones - on par with rubies, diamonds and spinels.
HOW TO WEAR PINK SAPPHIRE
Opt for light pink sapphires or fabulous neon pinks. Even more rare is the pink-orange padparadscha sapphire. There exist exclusive and gorgeous pink stones to suit any occasion.
Getting engaged? And like a bold statement to express your story? Try an intense pink sapphire instead of the diamond (if you dare…).
BY SEASON⭐️ For summer, try bolder, brilliant pigments like flashy neon pink or a stone that sparkles with orange undertones.
The most mythical sapphires are the blue sapphires from Kashmir, found in the Great Himalayan mountains of northwestern India in the 1800s. The remote mine has been exhausted since the 1920s but some stones can still be found in the market very occasionally.
Pink sapphires became more widely available when new deposits were found in Madagascar in the late 1990s. Until then, these pink gems were considered exceptionally rare since they were only found in a few locations around the world, such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar. Pink sapphires over 1 carat are rare and a pink sapphire over 4 carats is regarded as extremely rare. For that reason, each stone is cut to retain as much of its original weight as possible. But also because colour is its most prized asset and this is more intense in larger stones.
DID YOU KNOW?⭐️ Considered one of the "Big Four", which also includes rubies, emeralds and diamonds, blue sapphires traditionally symbolise nobility, sincerity, truth and faithfulness. Its striking blue is the standard against which all other blue gemstones (such as blue topaz or tanzanite) are measured against. However, far less well-known in the West is the stunning pink sapphire which can even be considered more rare than the blue sapphire.
3. Pink Tourmaline
ORIGIN
Brazil, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Russia, California and Maine (USA).
COLOURS
Tourmaline comes in a rainbow of colours and its pinks range from the highly coveted raspberry "rubellite" tourmaline to a delicious candy-coloured pink...
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PINK TOURMALINE
With a good hardness and brilliance, it’s an exquisite stone for fine jewellery that’s worn daily.
EXTRA NOTE OF CARE FOR PINK TOURMALINE
Due to their pyro- and piezoelectric properties, tourmaline gemstones need to be wiped down frequently as they tend to attract more dust particles than other gemstones. You can also use warm soapy water and a soft cloth to clean.
HOW TO WEAR PINK TOURMALINE
Tourmalines are versatile, modern and utterly stunning for any occasion.
Getting engaged? Try a candy-coloured pink gem, set with pavé diamonds around it to make the pink gem pop even more.
BY SEASON⭐️ For summer, try party-perfect hues, like an exquisite neon pink or a delicate pale pink.
Brightly coloured Sri Lankan Tourmalines were brought to Europe by navigators from the Dutch East India Company in the late 17th century who gave the stone the name 'aschentreckers' meaning 'ash attractors' because it could attract dust and lint when charged with static electricity and so, they used it to clean their pipes after smoking.
People have probably used tourmalines for centuries but often identified it as some other gemstone based on its colour until the arrival of modern gemology. Since it comes in an endless array of dazzling colours, it’s easy to understand why people used to confuse tourmaline with other gems.
DID YOU KNOW?⭐️ The historic confusion surrounding tourmalines can even be derived from the stone’s name, which comes from the word Toramalli meaning “mixed gems” in Sinhalese.
4. Pink Morganite
ORIGIN
Brazil, Mozambique, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Namibia, USA (Maine and California)
COLOURS
Light pink, orange peach-pink and salmon pink
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PINK MORGANITE
Morganites have good hardness and excellent transparency. They often come in lighter candy-like pastel shades of pink that are hard to resist.
EXTRA NOTE OF CARE FOR PINK MORGANITE
Precious ‘beryl’ (the family to which morganite belongs) is sensitive to pressure and vulnerable to household chemicals. Although beryl is one of the more durable gemstone types, it still requires careful handling (but this applies to all gemstones, including diamonds).
Avoid wearing beryl jewellery when working with harsh chemicals or household cleaners, such as bleach or acid.
Morganite can easily scratch other gemstones, such as common quartz gemstones (like purple amethyst, yellow citrine and rose quartz). And this gemstone can itself be scratched by harder gemstones, such as rubies, sapphires, spinels and diamonds. So, always keep them apart (like you should with all your fine jewellery pieces!).
HOW TO WEAR PINK MORGANITE
This light pink stone shimmers like the night sky, and is a unique selection for any occasion.
Getting engaged? This light pink gem is particularly stunning as an engagement ring. However, you need to see if it suits your style and looks as it doesn’t suit every lady.
BY SEASON⭐️ For summer, try its light rose petal-coloured hues.
Pink morganite was first discovered in Madagascar in 1910 and is also known as pink beryl. Shortly thereafter, George F. Kunz, a famous American gemologist and buyer for Tiffany's, renamed it in honour of J.P. Morgan, the American banker who was said to have been an avid gem collector. Among the beryls, morganite is one of the rarest gems and has been prized by gem collectors.
DID YOU KNOW?⭐️ Morganite was named after J.P. Morgan, the American banker, who was a fervent gemstone lover himself.
⭐️ The stone is considered affordable, especially considering its rarity. Morganite may be hard to find in local retail stores as it’s still relatively uncommon. However, online dealers can provide morganite in every size, shape and cut.
5. Malaya Garnet
ORIGIN
Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar
COLOURS
Pink-orange ranging from salmon-y pastel to deeply saturated hues
WHY YOU’LL LOVE MALAYA GARNET
Malaya garnets have remarkable brilliance and the finest quality can display scintillating red flashes. Its pink-orange hue also makes for a great substitute for the even rarer (and highly priced) padparadscha sapphire. Fine quality malaya garnets are so rare and special that you’ll be one of the few on the planet wearing one…
HOW TO WEAR MALAYA GARNET
Malaya garnet's great hardness and brilliance make it one of the world's highest quality rare gemstones. It can be worn in a variety of jewellery pieces. Why not use it to build your dream custom jewellery piece for any and every occasion?
BY SEASON
⭐️ For summer, try a lighter pastel malaya - a perfect colour to match any sun-kissed skin-tone.
⭐️ For winter, the dark malaya garnet with a reddish-orange tone would add brilliant sparkle to your winter attire.
A PEEK INTO THE HISTORY OF MALAYA GARNET
Malaya (malaia) garnet was first discovered in the 1960s. It was found in the Umba River Valley bordering Tanzania and Kenya which remains the primary source for Malaya garnet today. In the 1990s, a second commercial source was discovered in Bekily, Madagascar.
The term "malaya" was derived from a Swahili word meaning 'outcast'. Miners gave it this name because when it was first discovered, local dealers wouldn't buy it, simply because it didn't fall into any of the standard garnet categories; and so, it was cast aside! If only they’d known.
Malaya garnet is one of the rarer and more interesting 'hybrid' varieties of garnet. In fact, garnet comes in 6 main mineral groups / species -- almandine, andradite, grossular, pyrope, spessartine and uvarovite -- and often they form chemical mixtures between 2 or 3 garnet species, as is the case here with malaya garnet.
DID YOU KNOW?
⭐️ Malaya garnet is primarily a mix of the species pyrope and spessartine garnet but some stones can even contain parts of the other 4 garnet groups. This makes garnet one of the hardest stones to identify and always forms a nice challenge for gemologists…
⭐️ Garnets are one of the few gemstones that typically do not receive treatments (i.e. they are not ‘enhanced’) in any way and so their colours are fully natural. And so far, this variety also hasn’t been recreated as a synthetic (man-made) gemstone either!
⭐️ Since its discovery, the production and mining of malaya garnet has been very irregular and because of its rarity, it is highly prized by gem collectors.
6. Padparadscha Sapphire
ORIGIN
Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tanzania
COLOURS
A mixture of pink and orange. The perfect padparadscha should be 50% pink and 50% orange. Where and how to draw that line is always open to debate...
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE
The delicate colour of this stone makes for a rare, show-stopping sparkle. Paired with the unbeatable quality characteristics of sapphire, it makes the perfect alternative engagement ring stone or statement ring for daily wear.
HOW TO WEAR PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE
Getting engaged? Nothing compares to the elegance and rare colour of a padparadscha sapphire for an unbelievably stunning alternative engagement ring.
BY SEASON
⭐️ For summer, with colour that mimics a summer sunset, the padparadscha sapphire will fit any summer style from day to night.
⭐️ For winter, use this stone to warm your usual darker cold weather wardrobe in a statement ring with some diamonds or in a necklace.
A PEEK INTO THE HISTORY OF PADPARADSCHA
For over a hundred years, reference has been made to an extremely rare sapphire which was first discovered in Sri Lanka, in the mesmerising colour of a lotus flower which most people in the West have never seen before. The term padparadscha actually comes from a Sinhalese word used to the describe the colour of an aquatic lotus flower.
The stone’s colour is caused by a combination of iron and chromium trace elements. Traders often push gemology labs to state the name ‘padparadscha’ on a gem certificate for a stone that doesn’t actually fall within the true padparadscha range as they know the jump in price a stone with that title will bring...
What matters most is for the colour grading to be carried out by gemologists from an international lab who have knowledge and expertise in colour stone grading and also an eye for beauty - rather than being driven by commercial intentions. That way, we can at least trust the certificate when it states ‘padparadscha sapphire’.
DID YOU KNOW?
⭐️ Due to the rarity of rough padparadscha, the stone will often be seen with an asymmetrical shape because they're cut to preserve as much of the stone as possible.
⭐️ Clarity is an important aspect of the padparadscha sapphire. This is because their light colour can easily reveal inclusions and imperfections.
⭐️ Padparadschas over 2 carats in weight are considered extremely rare.
⭐️ Madagascar padparadschas are known to be a bit pinker in colour and usually sell for about 20% less than those from Sri Lanka - where the highest quality padparadschas are normally found. These stones from Madagascar can be heat-treated to intensify their pink colour.
⭐️ Princess Eugenie of the UK got engaged with a padparadscha sapphire.
⭐️ MORE FOR YOU ⭐️
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