Pink tourmaline, one of the most popular gemstones on the market

Pink tourmaline is a very unusual gemstone. Just about everybody will have seen a range of pink gemstones in modern jewelry design, at some point. In most cases, these gems are pink tourmaline.

It's fair to say that pink tourmaline is one of the most high demand gemstones on the market. This particular gemstone is universally popular with designers, offering an exceptional range of design possibilities that other gemstones simply can't match.

The pink tourmaline color spectrum ranges from a pale pink to a deeper red, almost ruby-like. Unlike many other gemstones, however, pink tourmaline can be cut into a very broad range of design styles. The unique crystallization of tourmaline also adds a range of design options with different cuts.

Pink tourmaline and jewelry design

It's not much of an overstatement to say that pink tourmaline is an incredibly popular gemstone with consumers. These are market forces in action, in the most little sense of the expression. Pink tourmaline is popular in all market segments, right up to the very highest end of the market. The "designer revolution" in jewelry has created a very wide market for tourmalines, and pink tourmaline in particular.

Until relatively recently, even the color pink was pretty rare in jewelry design. Pink diamonds, themselves a very rare gemstone, introduced pink into the jewelry spectrum (circa 1960s), but these extremely rare and very expensive diamonds simply didn't exist in enough quality to enter the mass market.

The pink jewelry designs, however, were extremely popular. An alternative to pink diamonds was required. Pink tourmaline filled the jewelry design niche quite nicely with a good range of sizes and color spectrum choices. As an intermediate color, pink is particularly versatile, working well with white diamonds, and other gemstones. Designers simply can't get enough of this very useful gemstone.

Pink tourmaline in the market

A few basic facts need to be explained about pink tourmaline in the market:

• Pink tourmaline is relatively expensive, particularly for larger gemstones. For example, a 7.64 carat octagon-cut stone can cost up to $3500 in the current market.
• One of the major factors in pricing is the popularity of pink tourmaline. Turnover in larger gemstones is reasonably high, all the time. These larger stones make excellent centrepieces, and the unique decorative pink spectrum is exceptionally popular.
• Sourcing pink tourmaline is very much a matter of managing multiscale acquisition. Like other tourmalines, pink tourmaline is typically used in all sizes, from small pieces to much larger gemstones.
• The best practice option for sourcing pink tourmaline is definitely to deal with specialist suppliers. In this case, the gemstone is relatively rare, potentially expensive, and margin-sensitive. It's best to source from a consistent supply, rather than "online deals" from occasional suppliers.

RMC is the world's biggest wholesaler and retailer of tourmaline. If you're looking for a range of pink tourmalines, simply talk to us. We can help you with all aspects of acquisition, from baseline smaller gemstones to upmarket large gemstones.