Pink Tourmaline

[pyramid]

When buying pink tourmaline is an orange or peach secondary colour preferred above a blue secondary colour or is it just a preference thing I am hearing?

thank you.

 

[T L]

When buying pink tourmaline is an orange or peach secondary colour preferred above a blue secondary colour or is it just a preference thing I am hearing?

thank you.

Pink tourmalines that hold their color and have a blue secondary, are perceived as more valuable. Pink tourmaline with an orange or peach secondary are very common, and the color is not as desirable in the trade because the former usually goes for much more per carat, if all else is equal. Finding an untreated pink tourmaline with a blue or lavender secondary is difficult. Many very saturated pink tourmalines are heated than irradiated to a vivid color.

Some people prefer the peach or orange secondary, but I'm not one of them. If you prefer the peach or orange secondary, then you'll save yourself some $$$ if buying from a dealer that provides fair pricing for such stones.

 

[Harriet]

Pyramid,
Is there a reason that you're looking for a pink with a secondary?

 

[pyramid]

Thanks Tourmaline Lover, I obviously had it the wrong way around that it is the blue that is believed to be a better secondary colour.

Hi Harriet. I thought from what I had read on the internet and here about secondary colour in tourmaline in a post I think by Tourmaline Lover that you had to pick one or the other as the best pink tourmaline was very rare. I didn't know about the heated/irradiated ones. I have not seen enough pink tourmaline around and probably the ones in mall shops would be irradiated then? I know with blue sapphires, sometimes I think the heated ones are a better colour than the unheated in moderate price ranges. Just looking but don't want an expensive pink tourmaline.

 

[T L]

Pyramid I must strongly advise against buying any tourmaline from a mall shop or department store. Most of the time, you will get some extinct ugly tourmaline, or an irradiated one. Blue or lavender as a secondary in tourmaline is most desired. In my hot pink tourmaline, I see more of a blue or violet, but in my lighter pink, I see more of lavender. Here is a photo of Maine tourmaline which often has a lavender secondary.

I have a stone very similar in color to the cut Maine tourmaline in the attached photo, but it's from Nigeria, another locale for these rare colored pink tourmalines.

 

[chrono]

When buying a pink tourmaline, aim for as little modifier as possible. The purer the hue, the better it is, so my first choice is to get a pure pink with no modifiers. If pressed, I’d rather a blue secondary (lavender) over an orange/peach because when desaturated, the orange will appear brown. Do note that many pink tourmalines are now heated to remove colour, then irradiated to improve the saturation. Not only that, this treatment is currently not detectable by labs, or much too expensive to test for.