10 Rarest Pink Stones for Jewelry

The rarest pink stones are among the most expensive of all gems. Pink diamond, for instance, was the most valuable. The combination of scarcity and high demand for such a desirable color allows them to command the highest prices. Yet there are pink stones even rarer than pink diamond. Here are the ten rarest pink stones in the world.

Rarest of Pink Stones: Poudretteite

Poudretteite is a very rare silicate mineral. Named after the family who operated the Poudretteite quarry in Quebec, Canada where the mineral first came to light in the mid-1960s, poudretteite is a relatively new gemstone. Its color is typically pink, often having a violet or purplish tint, with some displaying a more intense or saturated pink. This color comes chiefly from the inclusion of manganese, which absorbs certain wavelengths of light, resulting in the pink coloration.

Poudretteite is an extremely rare gem, one of the rarest gemstones in the world, with only a few gem-quality specimens known to exist. Its availability is limited since this stone occurs in very small quantities, and in only a couple of locations worldwide. Besides Mont St. Hilaire of Canada, the only other known source of poudretteite is the Mogok Valley of Myanmar. The challenging nature of mining and the rarity of suitable, gem-quality material make poudretteite a rare find in the market.

However, the same scarcity contributes to poudretteite’s high value and desirability among collectors and gem enthusiasts, thus making it a very expensive gemstone.

2nd Rarest of Pink Stones: Pink Musgravite

Pink Musgravite is a rare gemstone first discovered in 1967 in the Musgrave Range of South Australia, hence the name ‘musgravite.’ A member of the taaffeite group of minerals, musgravite occurs in a range of colors, including gray, green and purple. Among the most highly sought-after colors are the pink stones, which may exhibit a purplish tint.

There are only a few countries producing musgravite. Besides Australia, musgravite later came to light in other locations, including Madagascar, Tanzania and Greenland. The limited occurrence of musgravite has given collectors only a few known specimens. With its unique color, the pink variety of musgravite is especially rare. The material from Tanzania is popular for its purplish pink color, and is among the most valuable of musgravites.

Another cause of musgravite’s rarity is the fact that people also often mistake the pink stone for spinel. Many of the spinels in gem collections were likely actually musgravite. This confusion between musgravite and spinel has made musgravite rarer than it already is, and has consequently contributed to its desirability among gem collectors and enthusiasts.

3rd Rarest of Pink Stones: Pink Taaffeite

Taaffeite is a rare gemstone from the beryl family. The gemologist Richard Taaffe first discovered this mineral in 1945. Thus named in his honor, taaffeite occurs in a range of colors, including lavender, mauve and violet. Pink taaffeite exhibits a range of hues from light pink to deeper shades. The presence of manganese in taaffeite results in its pink coloration, given how inclusion of the element affects the absorption and reflection of light.

Pink taaffeite is extremely rare. This stone is hard to find since the stone rarely occurs in nature to begin with. Though the stone also appeared in several locations – including Myanmar and Madagascar – Sri Lanka is particularly renowned for producing pink stones of high-quality taaffeite. What makes finding gem-quality taaffeite even more challenging is the fact that this gemstone is also often mistaken for spinel. In fact, the first taaffeite that Richard Taaffe discovered in 1945 came from a parcel of spinels. Due to its scarcity, as well as a great demand, pink taaffeite commands high prices.

4th Rarest of Pink Stones: Pink Diamond

Pink diamond is a rare and highly coveted variety of diamonds. Its natural color ranges from a delicate light pink to intense and vibrant hues. Thus, some pink diamonds exhibit a subtle pastel shade while others display a rich and saturated tone. The pink color is the result of structural distortions in the crystal occurring during diamond’s formation under intense heat and pressure beneath the earth. The deformation affects the absorption and reflection of light in a way that produces the pink color.

Pink diamonds are extremely rare. The pink stones occur in very limited quantities, and represent a small fraction of the world’s production. In fact, the pink stones account for less than 0.1% of all diamonds mined globally. Several factors contribute to the rarity of pink diamonds. To begin with, diamond as a mineral formed deep within the Earth under unique geological conditions, thus its rarity. The occurrence of structural distortions in the crystals, resulting in pink stones, make these diamonds even rarer. Moreover, only a fraction of these pink diamonds are of gem quality and thus suitable for jewelry.

The combination of all these factors makes pink diamond one of the rarest gemstones in the world. These stones occur in various locations – including Australia, Brazil, Russia, South Africa and Canada – but the Argyle mine of Western Australia is particularly notable for having produced more than 90% of the world’s supply of pink diamonds. Unfortunately, the same mine closed in 2020, thus adding to the rarity of pink diamonds.

This scarcity in turn makes the pink stones highly sought after among collectors, investors and connoisseurs. Thus, along with a great demand, their rarity makes pink diamonds the most valuable gems in the world. See —

Hackmanite changing color in different lighting
From P-kan-rainbow, CC BY-SA 3.0

5th Rarest of Pink Stones: Hackmanite

Hackmanite is a rare variety of the mineral sodalite known for its unique property of exhibiting tenebrescence, which is the ability to change color upon exposure to a certain light source. In its initial state, hackmanite may appear pale pink, but upon exposure to ultraviolet light, the stone can undergo a reversible color change to a more intense pink or violet color. The degree of change can depend on the specific hackmanite specimen and the duration of light exposure.

Named after the Canadian mineralogist Victor Mordechai Hackman, hackmanite is a rare gem not widely available in the market. The rarity of hackmanite is due to several factors, one of which is its limited occurrence. While hackmanite occurs in several locations – including Greenland, Russia and Tanzania – the stones from Afghanistan and Myanmar are the ones noted for a pink color in sunlight. In addition, the specific conditions required for tenebrescence to occur make quality hackmanite even rarer. Not all hackmanite specimens exhibit tenebrescence, and even among those that do, the intensity and duration of the color-change can vary. These factors make hackmanites with vibrant and stable tenebrescent properties relatively rare. Of these stones, moreover, those of facetable quality are relatively scarce. Still, this same rarity contributes to hackmanite’s desirability among collectors and enthusiasts.

6th Rarest of Pink Stones: Paraiba Tourmaline

Paraiba tourmaline is a gemstone whose discovery in the late 1980s caused quite a stir in the gemstone market with its vibrant electric-blue color. A rarer variety of paraiba tourmaline occurs in pink, which is due to the presence of manganese within the crystal.

Pink paraiba tourmaline is exceptionally rare. One cause of this rarity is the stone’s limited occurrence. Distinguished by its copper content, paraiba tourmaline comes from only a few locations. As the name suggests, the most renowned source of paraiba tourmaline is the Paraiba State of northeastern Brazil, although cuprian tourmaline later came from Mozambique and Nigeria. Additionally, the specific conditions required for the formation of the pink stones, particularly the presence of the element responsible for their unique color, make them quite rare compared to other varieties of tourmaline. Still, this scarcity, combined with its vibrant color, contributes to the pink paraiba’s high value and desirability. However, compared to its blue counterpart, pink paraiba remains less expensive due to lower demand.

7th Rarest of Pink Stones: Padparadscha Sapphire

Padparadscha sapphire is a special variety of sapphire known for its unique blend of pink and orange hues. The exact color variations vary, but the stones typically display a harmonious mixture of pink and orange. Those from Madagascar are usually pink with a tinge of orange. The color of padparadscha sapphire comes from a combination of iron and chromium within the crystal. These elements interact with light in a way that gives rise to the distinct pink and orange coloration.

Due to this unique color combination and its limited availability, padparadscha sapphire is an exceptionally rare gemstone, the rarest variety of sapphire. High-quality padparadscha sapphires that exhibit a perfect balance of pink and orange hues are even rarer.

Several factors contribute to the rarity of padparadscha sapphire. These include the limited geographic locations that produce the stone, which primarily comes from Sri Lanka, although smaller quantities later came from Madagascar and Tanzania. The specific geological conditions required for the formation of padparadscha sapphire and the difficulty in obtaining the desired color combination also contribute to its rarity, on which account padparadscha sapphire is highly popular and consequently one of the most valuable gemstones in the world.

8th Rarest of Pink Stones: Cobaltocalcite

Cobaltocalcite, also known as cobaltoan calcite, is a variety of calcite that contains traces of cobalt, resulting in its distinctive pink color. This color ranges in shade from pale pink to intense purplish pink. The exact color varies depending on the concentration of the cobalt inclusion.

Due to its specific coloration, cobaltocalcite is a relatively rare mineral, not as widely available as other varieties of calcite. Moreover, high-quality specimens with intense pink coloration are even rarer. The limited occurrence of deposits with suitable concentrations of cobalt impurities results in the scarcity of the pink stones, which consequently receive high demand from collectors and enthusiasts. However, given calcite’s low hardness, cobaltocalcite is less suitable for jewelry. Notable sources of cobaltocalcite include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Canada and the United States.

9th Rarest of Pink Stones: Eudialyte

Eudialyte is a silicate gem from the eudialyte group of minerals. This stone exhibits a range of colors, including pink, red and brown. Pink eudialyte is rare on account of the limited occurrence of eudialyte in nature and the specific combination of elements required to form the pink variety. Sources of eudialyte include Russia, Greenland, Norway, Canada and the United States.

10th. Sphene

Also known as titanite, sphene is a relatively rare gemstone and collector’s mineral, commonly occurring in yellow, green and brown. Sphenes also occur in pink, but these are extremely scarce. Sphenes in general are rare, particularly in fine quality and larger sizes. Due to its limited occurrence in nature, pink sphene is even rare, and thus infrequently available in the market. Sources of sphene include Brazil, Pakistan, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Russia and the United States.

Rarest And Lesser-Known

While the diamond is arguably the most popular of gems, among the rarest on this list are unknown to the general public. These pink stones are lesser-known inasmuch as they rarely occur in nature and in the market. Still, though these gems have not received the same level of recognition as diamond has, their rarity and unique characteristics make them highly prized among gem collectors and enthusiasts.

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For all pink stones, see also —

Writing About Diamond

The author wrote this article while working on his upcoming book on diamonds. During his research, he learned that pink diamond is among the rarest of pink stones, and is the most expensive of all diamonds, or of all gemstones for that matter. His book ‘Diamond, Its Magic and History’ is still in progress. In the meantime, you can check out his other publication —

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About the Author

Jomar Pandan

Jomar ‘Deomar’ Pandan is the author of Power Birthstone. He’s on the fourth draft of a high-fantasy novel, Cybelym, and the first of a historical fiction, Gem Faerie. He hopes to release a nonfiction book about diamond soon. Follow him for updates. Or see his jewelry and designs.

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