21 Pink Gemstones (How Many Do You Know?)

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Pink Diamond

There's a reason diamonds are the preferred gemstone for engagement rings worldwide. They're incredibly hard. In fact, diamonds are so hard their surfaces can only be scratched by other diamonds. Their abundance and durability earned them the title of April's birthstone.

In nature, pink diamonds are incredibly rare — unlike white diamonds — and command some of the highest price-per-carat values of any gemstone. However, if you want the same look for a fraction of the price, a synthetic diamond might be the best stone for you. Modern growing processes can now produce pink stones affordably. With so many lab-created pink diamonds available, jewelers can also assemble matched sets of stones, a virtually impossible task with the rare natural gems.

If you aren't bothered by the fact that these diamonds were grown in a machine, rather than inside the Earth, this is an exciting opportunity that was not available to buyers even a few years ago.

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Pink Sapphire

While the hardness of diamonds reigns supreme, corundum gems rank second in hardness among natural stones. While red corundum is considered ruby, corundum in any other color, including pink, is known as sapphire. Sapphires make highly durable gemstones appropriate for any type of jewelry, especially engagement rings. Sapphires of any color (not just blue) are also the September birthstone.

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The color saturation of pink sapphire can range from light to strong, so anyone can find one they like. Fortunately, corundum occurs in large quantities all over the world. As such, most of the pink stones on the market are pink sapphires. They have stable prices, and you can easily sort through gems of any size to find the exact pink hue you want. 

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In addition, many pink sapphires have good clarity, so you can avoid stones with visible imperfections and find better options.

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Scientists have been growing synthetic sapphires for over 100 years. If you're on a tight budget and want a big, highly saturated stone, a lab-made sapphire may be your best option. 

Morganite

Morganite is the pink variety of the beryl gem species, which includes well-known gems like blue-green aquamarine and green emerald. Fortunately, unlike emerald, morganite can have very good clarity. These gems tend to have a pleasant, delicate color, possibly with a slight orange component. 

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Morganite's color becomes more saturated in larger stones. Fortunately, morganites frequently form in large sizes. In fact, gem faceters sometimes cut morganites with distinctive designs from sizable, readily available crystals. 

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Pink Feldspar (Moonstones and Labradorites)

Most gem enthusiasts will be familiar with the colorless and white varieties of moonstone that have a blue adularescence, a phenomenon best described as a "billowing" effect inside the gem. However, this alternative June birthstone can also show a pink body color. Labradorite, another member of the feldspar gem species, can also have a dominant pink hue. 

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Pink Garnet

Many species and blends of garnet can display a wide range of body colors, including pink. Transparent pink garnets are regularly used in jewelry. However, opaque or translucent hydrogrossular garnets can show a glowing, pink color. Gem cutters often make them into beads or decorative carvings.

Garnets offer some advantages as jewelry stones. They have moderate prices compared to other colored gems. For example, pink garnets can be as beautiful as pink sapphires or tourmalines, yet they may cost significantly less. Garnets also have very good clarity, and you can easily find them in any carat weight. It's no wonder that garnet, the traditional January birthstone, has been prized as a jewelry stone for thousands of years.

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Rose Quartz

Quartz is one of the most common minerals on Earth. Rose quartz takes on a gentle pink hue that never has especially dark tones or intense saturations. 

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Inclusions create this soft color, which make the gem appear a bit cloudy. Rose quartz with lots of perfectly aligned internal inclusions may show chatoyancy or a "cat's eye" effect. More often, however, these inclusions may create asterism or a "star stone" effect on its surface.

Rose quartz often forms in gigantic crystals, which makes it suitable for use in both jewelry and large decorative carvings. 

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Pink Scapolite

Although scapolite usually has purple or violet body colors, pink gems do occasionally surface for sale on the market. Scapolites occur in many locations and can show a "cat's eye" effect. Their appearance can overlap with other, more well-known pink gemstones.

Pink Spinel

Like garnet, spinel is another abundantly available gemstone whose beauty rivals gems like sapphire. Yet, it comes with a significantly reduced per-carat price tag. Like scapolites, spinels may look like other more well-known gemstones. In fact, it was only in the 1700s that gemologists realized that spinel was an entirely different gem species than ruby.

Spinel crystals often grow in a flattened form, so gem enthusiasts usually value the color of this modern August birthstone more than its overall shape. This is good news if you're looking for custom-cut pink gemstones for your jewelry! Since faceters usually don't cut pink spinels to calibrated sizes, jewelers often take advantage of their unconventional outlines to make unique pieces.  

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Pink Topaz

Blue topaz is famously one of the December birthstones. However, many people don't realize topaz also comes in many other attractive hues, including pink. 

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In fact, rare red and pink colors number among the most valuable colors of topaz. (In contrast, blue topaz is one of the least expensive gemstones available). Abundant and durable, topaz has also earned the distinction of being a November birthstone. 

Pink Tourmaline

Tourmaline, the modern October birthstone, is a relatively common pink gem that you will easily find on the market. Tourmalines actually occur in many species, each exhibiting a variety of different colors. In tourmalines, pink colors may have either orange or purple undertones. You may hear dealers refer to red and pink tourmaline as rubellite. 

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Pink tourmalines with saturated colors command the highest prices, but note that they will appear dark. While good clarity is desirable, the depth of color is considered more important. Some stones have many highly ordered inclusions that cause an attractive "cat's eye" effect.

You can easily find large tourmalines, making tourmalines a great choice for those looking for impressively big pink gemstones.

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Those looking for unusual pink gemstones might consider watermelon tourmalines, which have bright pink interiors and green rims.

Pink Pearls

Cultured freshwater pearls can have many body colors, including pink. Saltwater Akoya pearls have a white or cream body color but may also have a pink overtone. Those in the trade call it "rosé." Some Akoyas show this overtone naturally, while others are exposed to a mild red dye to induce a pink hue. With a hardness score of only 2.5-3, pearls are quite soft. This hardness value means the pearl's surface will easily accumulate scratches. Therefore, jewelers frequently set these traditional June birthstones in necklaces and earrings. 

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Pink Apatite

Apatite occurs in many places, but a modest hardness of only 5 limits its jewelry use. Thus, you should wear and store any apatite jewelry with care. Apatite ring stones should have protective settings.

Interestingly, tiny apatite crystals often form inside other gems, such as sapphires, garnets, and emeralds.

Aventurine ("Strawberry Quartz")

The aventurine variety of quartzite, a lapidary stone that contains tiny grains of quartz, can sometimes show a pink color. Inclusions cause this color, so the gems are translucent rather than transparent. You might hear this gemstone called "strawberry quartz." Aventurine stones can grow very large, so gem cutters can fashion sizable pieces from them. In fact, you may find aventurine bangles cut from a single rock.

Pink Coral

Coral often grows in shades of pink, but finding it for sale may prove difficult. Restrictive laws and regulations protect the fragile reefs they come from. If you're looking for coral jewelry, try looking in vintage stores and estate sales.

Pink Danburite

Named after Danbury, Connecticut, danburite may rarely show a pale pink color. It has reasonable hardness, which means that it's strong enough for jewelry use. However, colorless danburite commands greater value than its colored varieties. Some danburites may also show cat's eyes.

Pink Fluorite

Pink is only one of the many hues that fluorite can exhibit. Although the color tends to be light and crystals can be quite large, fluorite's fragility renders it unsuitable for most jewelry types. It has a low hardness of 4 and cleaves readily in four different directions. You might find fluorites used as beads or carvings and even some raw crystal pendants. However, you probably won't come across too many fluorites when you're shopping for jewelry stones.

Pink Calcareous Concretions and Shells

Some pearl-like gems made of organic calcareous concretions and various shells can show pink and orangey pink colors. Although calcareous concretions and shells aren't pearls, strictly speaking, they are quite rare and may be highly valued by collectors.

Pink Opal

Pink opals are a very rare variety of the popular October birthstone. These opals are part of a subgroup known as "common opals," which don't show opal's famous play-of-color effect. Rather, pink opals are opaque. All opals are soft gems, with a hardness score of 5.5-6. They are also vulnerable to drying out if stored in dry environments and require special care.

Rhodochrosite

Usually an opaque to translucent gem, rhodochrosite has red to pink colors with saturation that may range from pale to strong. Unfortunately, rhodochrosites have a very low hardness score of 3.5-4.5. Transparent rhodochrosites are very rare.

Opaque rhodochrosite can take on a pale pink-and-white pattern known as "bacon strip," due to its similarity with the food.

Rhodonite

Rhodonite is a collector's gem that can be pink as well as red. Transparent gems are rare and can be deeply saturated. Translucent and opaque gems will frequently have black veins or splotches. You may see rhodonite carved into beads.

Pink Spodumene (Kunzite)

Kunzite, the most popular variety of the spodumene family, is a lovely gem with a pink to purple color and delicate to bold saturation. Since kunzites occur in only a few places, such as California, some collectors value the raw crystals over faceted gems. These gems are also notoriously difficult to cut. Thus, you'll rarely see faceted kunzites.

While most gem buyers may not be familiar with kunzite, some famous jewelers, such as Paloma Picasso, have proudly used the stone in their work. However, kunzite's pink color will fade if exposed to too much heat or light. You should reserve these gems for occasional evening wear and always store them in cool, dark conditions.

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Pink Zoisite (Thulite)

Blue to violet tanzanite is the most famous zoisite gemstone. The national gemstone of Norway, thulite is an opaque, pink variety of zoisite that often features gray or white mottling. Like many other non-transparent gems, thulite is usually fashioned into beads. Some mistakenly refer to thulite as "pink tanzanite."