Tourmalines are multifaceted gems that come in many hues and combinations. An Egyptian legend shares that, on tourmaline's journey from the Earth's core, it passed through a rainbow, forever marking its colorful properties. Also known as the "gemstone of the rainbow," tourmaline gems can also be found in different hues of a single color, with pink tourmaline tending to be rosy or bright.
Identification
The linguistic root of the word tourmaline is in the Singhalese words tura mali, which means "stone with mixed colors." Pink tourmaline belongs to a species of the gemstone called Elbaite, named for the Italian island of Elba. Both the red and the pink varieties of tourmaline are called rubellite.
Features
Rubellite varieties of tourmaline have two possible properties in regard to their coloring. They may remain an intense shade of red whether they are in artificial or natural light. However, if the rubellite tourmaline's hue changes with the light source, becoming fuchsia or shocking pink, it is a pink tourmaline.
Function
Pink tourmaline is a popular fashion accessory, found on everything from earrings to necklaces to rings and pendants. However, pink tourmaline is also popular amongst alternative healing circles. People who do energy work such as Reiki or Chakra healing consider using or wearing pink tourmaline as a way to generate feminine energy. Healers integrate pink tourmaline for treatments addressing functions of the female reproductive organs.
Geography
Pink tourmalines, like other tourmalines, can be found around the world. The richest deposits of these gemstones are in Sri Lanka, Brazil, South Africa, Southwest Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the United States, pink tourmalines are sources from deposits in Maine and California. Quality and clarity of pink tourmalines vary widely, affecting the price.
Fun Fact
Tourmalines are also of particular fascination to scientists who have found that the gemstones, when heated and cooled, become electrically charged. They have a negative charge at one end, and a positive charge on the other, resulting in a property known as pyro-electricity. The same transformation occurs to tourmaline when it is subjected to high amounts of pressure, with its polarity shifting as the pressure recedes. This shift can make the tourmaline oscillate.
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