The Ultimate Guide To Pink vs. Purple Tourmaline

Tourmaline is one of the most versatile gemstones in the world. Like sapphire, tourmaline is also known for its wide range of colors - purple, pink, blue, green, etc. Out of all the tourmalines, pink tourmaline and paraiba tourmaline are two of the most popular gemstones. Pink tourmaline has been in the market for much longer than paraiba tourmaline. The gemstone has even been found in mineral deposits in the early 1800s. It has grown in popularity because of three significant factors: the gemstone's bright rich color, impressive hardness, and positive influences. Due to their vibrant colors, tourmalines in pink and purple shades are hugely coveted among women.

There can be many ultimate face-off combinations of different varieties of tourmalines but let us stick to the two competent competitors. Here begins the most awaited face-off pink tourmaline vs. purple tourmaline.

Hardness

Round 1 of the face-off between the two ended before even getting started because both gemstones belong to the same mineral family. Both have a hardness of 7 to 7.5 on the Mohs scale, making them perfect gemstones for beautiful and durable jewels. A jewel with a combination of pink tourmaline or purple tourmaline with diamond becomes relatively more durable because a diamond is the hardest gemstone.

Color

The next round of pink vs. purple tourmaline will be extremely interesting because you can not only witness this face-off but can also wear it. Yes! You read it right. You can wear a stunning jewelry piece studded with a combination of purple and pink tourmaline. Pink and purple both are the favorite colors of a woman and both make perfect combinations with all metals as well as with other gemstones. So let’s leave the final decision of this round to the ultimate judge- the wearer.

Add On Benefits

There are many other add-on benefits of both gemstones. Tourmaline is a birthstone for October. Its different color variants have various positive effects on the person who wears it. Let us understand the positive influences of these gemstones separately. 

Pink Tourmaline 

Most of the healing properties of pink tourmaline are associated with mental and emotional health. It has not much to do with physical health. Sound mental health is the most important factor in everyone’s  life. A pink tourmaline helps you in different problems related to  mental wellness including anxiety, depression, and heartbreak.

Purple Tourmaline:

Purple tourmaline or siberite is related to the root, heart and crown chakra. This gemstone helps in healing headaches, migraines and many other physical problems. In addition,  siberite also makes its wearer spiritual and encourages him/ her to meditate.

Because of purple tourmaline's positive influences on mental and physical health, the gemstone outclasses pink tourmaline.

Rarity

Purple tourmaline or siberite is a rare variety of tourmaline but pink tourmaline is a variety that can be found very often. Rare varieties of tourmaline are considered a symbol of luxury. This is why you can give preference to purple tourmaline over pink tourmaline to impress your loved one. All the purplish-blue gemstones are not as rare as purple tourmaline. You should carefully check the authenticity before purchasing a purple tourmaline. Pink tourmaline on the other hand is not that rare. A fair-quality pink tourmaline can be found throughout the world.

Price Differences

After comparing the rarity of both the gemstones, it has become quite clear that a purple tourmaline will cost you more than a pink tourmaline. Still, we cannot give a concrete comparison of prices because some of the varieties of pink tourmaline are also very rare. Usually, a dual-tone pink tourmaline, the rarest variety of pink tourmaline costs between $300 and $600 per carat.  This narrows down the price difference because the price of a purple tourmaline generally starts from $600.

Also read: Pink Tourmaline Rings Inspired By Katy Perry

Origin

As we have already discussed, purple tourmaline is a hard-to-find gem and pink tourmaline can be found in almost every part of the world. To be precise, rich deposits of pink tourmaline are in the United States, Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique, Madagascar, Afghanistan and Namibia. But the finest quality stones can be found in the Muzo mines of Brazil and in Namibia. Of all these places, only the mines of Brazil yield purple tourmaline.

 So this brings us to the end of the pink vs purple tourmaline discourse. Let’s do a quick recap. The hardness of both gemstones is the same because they belong to the same mineral family. The color of both gemstones is vibrant and we left the preference of color to the wearer. In terms of add-on benefits, purple tourmaline is a step ahead, but the gap is not significant. Purple tourmaline is rare but expensive and pink tourmaline is easy to find, making it less expensive.

Ultimately, we can say that everyone can have their own winner. If you are looking for an October birthstone for a lower price, you can settle for pink tourmaline. On the other hand, if collecting rare gemstones is your hobby, then you should add purple tourmaline to your collection. If both the gemstones look stunning enough to you and you don’t want to ditch any of them, then you should definitely make a jewelry piece with a combination of pink and purple tourmalines. Do not wait to pick a tourmaline of your choice because time makes rare things rarer and easily obtainable things common.