When thinking about pink stones, certain fancy gemstones come to mind such as pink sapphire, ruby, and certain types of garnet. There's also tourmaline, pink topaz, zircon, diamond, and spinel.
I usually work with semiprecious gems and natural stone beads. For the "rosy" pinks I like rhodochrosite and rhodonite. For barely there pinks, baby pink, and petal pink there is rose quartz, chalcedony, opal, morganite, and kunzite. For the "earthy" pinks I like to design with unakite (a mixture of dusty salmon pink and moss green) sometimes rhodochrosite, and many jaspers such as mookaite and porcelain jasper. Purplish and darker “floral” pinks can come from fluorite, opaque ruby, and tourmaline.
Pink is always a nice match for white gold, sterling silver or antiqued silver. Rose gold or copper is a good setting for very pale pinks, especially those shades that tend toward coral or salmon. Rosy and earthy pinks are beautiful in dark antiqued copper which can also embolden the barely there hues.
My last post was devoted to Rhodochrosite, this one takes a look at two more pink natural stone “paints” on my design palette: Rhodonite and Rose Quartz.
Pink "paints" in my natural stone design palette. Clockwise from top center: Mixed jaspers, rose quartz, rhodochrosite, pink tourmaline, unakite, rhodonite, Peruvian pink opal
Rhodonite is a silicate mineral with manganese, iron, and calcium in it. It is often associated with manganese oxide that forms black veins or dendrites in the pink rock. It is rare to find crystals of rhodonite, it more commonly occurs in massive deposits in metamorphic rock. This material is used to cut cabochons and beads. Rhodonite is the state gem of Massachusetts.
Left image: A nice cluster of rare rhodonite crystals from Minas Gerais, Brazil. Specimen is about 2.5 centimeters in height. Specimen and photo by Arkenstone / www.iRocks.com
Right image: Pink rhodonite contrasting with black manganese oxides mineral specimen from Humboldt County, Nevada.
At left, rhodonite sterling silver bracelet, and right, rhodonite's rosy pink accents blue lapis and green peridot in dangle earrings by Pebbles At My Feet.
Rhodonite necklace with bronzite stones and antique patina copper by Pebbles At My Feet
Rose quartz is quartz that is colored by microscopic inclusions of pink dumortierite mineral. Rose quartz is translucent, and ranges in color from imperceptibly pink to pale cherry blossom pink. Some cabochons, if cut at just the right angle to the crystal, may display asterism with a six-rayed star on pink background due to dumortierite fibers in the quartz stone. Rose quartz is the state mineral of South Dakota.
Left image: What a thrill it would be to discover a crystal specimen like this one. A rare specimen of rose quartz with a gemmy pink color. From the Sapucaia Mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The specimen is 11.5 x 7 x 4.5 centimeters in size. Specimen and photo by Arkenstone www.iRocks.com.
Right image: An oval-shaped cabochon of rose quartz exhibiting beautiful color and spectacular asterism. This gem is from the collection of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and this Creative Commons Atribution photo was taken by andytang20.
Rose quartz and pearl earrings by Pebbles at my feet
Rose quartz, pink opal, and rhodonite bracelet by Pebbles At My Feet
I used these sources in this post, and encourage you to click and read more about pink stones, rhodonite and rose quartz
https://geology.com/minerals/rhodonite.shtml
https://geology.com/gemstones/rose-quartz/
https://www.sobrietystones.com/meaning-of-colors/meaning_color_pink_4.htm
Do you like the color pink as expressed by these natural stones? I've often felt that if you are drawn to a stone, a painting, a color, a food even, it is something you "need" in some way. Color psychology tells us that pink is life affirming, calming, playful, and soothing. It can help relieve stress. Look to pink stones for their calming, healing energy and to aid in self esteem and love.
Drop a comment below if you enjoyed this post. Let me know how you feel about pink stones or the color pink in general.
Pamela
Pebbles At My Feet Natural Stone Adornments
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