Pink tourmaline, often referred to by the trade name Rubellite, is a vibrant variety of the tourmaline group valued for its saturated pink to red hues. Collectors look for well-formed prismatic crystals featuring distinct vertical striations and natural termination, most commonly recovered from granitic pegmatite pockets.
Is this pink tourmaline?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch pink tourmaline with a known reference. Pink Tourmaline sits at Mohs 7-7.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Pink Tourmaline leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Pink Tourmaline typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, magenta, rose.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections and vertical striations.
Often confused with
Pink Tourmaline vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside pink tourmaline
Minerals reported to co-occur with pink tourmaline. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Na(Li,Al)₃Al₆(BO₃)₃Si₆O₁₈(OH)₄
- Mohs hardness
- 7-7.5
- Density
- 3.02-3.06 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Rounded Triangular Cross-sections and Vertical Striations
- Cleavage
- Indistinct
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector, Jewelry
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites
- Typical price
- $20-200 per gram for gem rough; $50-500+ per carat for fine cut stones
Where rockhounds find pink tourmaline
2 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Pala District, California, USA
- Nuristan, Afghanistan
- Madagascar
- Nigeria
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites country, the host setting where pink tourmaline typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, albite, lepidolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with rounded triangular cross-sections and vertical striations habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Maine, North Carolina. Start trip planning there.
More pink tourmaline photos
Common questions
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Find pink tourmaline on the map
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