Red & Pink Gemstone Jewelry

Jewelry set with red and pink gemstones is enjoying a huge rebirth in the design and fashion world. Since people first started adding “accessories,” richly colored gemstones have been an important part of the look. Deep luscious reds of gemstones such as ruby, garnet and tourmaline, have been treasured in the jewelry collections of royals, set into their crowns, tiaras, brooches, and necklaces. Pink gems in shades ranging from the softest rose quartz to the deeper hues of pink sapphire have been used to denote love for children and paramours. Today, luckily, most of these gems are attainable not just by royals, but by the rest of us as well! Whether seen as symbols of power, love, devotion, or happiness, red and pink gemstone jewelry designs are among the most popular today.

Ruby (the red cousin of sapphire) is among the most valuable of all gemstones. Rubies may be found in shades from an orangey-red to the deepest pure reds. The purest colors are quite rare, but gentle heating, perfected over the centuries, has allowed many more rubies to attain that very desirable hue, and today almost all rubies have been heated to even out their color and improve their clarity. This is a permanent process, and we are all the luckier to have so many ruby jewelry pieces available as a result. Rubies, like all corundums, are very hard and durable, making them an excellent choice for jewelry that will last for generations. 

Pink Sapphire is another cousin in the corundum family, less saturated in color but quite lovely, with a softer more delicate hue. Some pink sapphires are faceted, while others are cut as “cabochon” (with a rounded top, and a flat bottom) to bring out the beauty of the slightly opaque to translucent gem material. 

Garnet is found in nature in almost every color of the rainbow. Its red to pink varieties are quite saturated in color, and as a very durable and relatively plentiful gem, especially in smaller sizes, garnet lends itself to use in bolder jewelry designs. 

Tourmaline is generally either purplish-red, green, or occasionally blue-green (the famous “Paraiba” shade, for example). Tourmaline is often heated or irradiated to improve its appearance, a permanent process. However, tourmaline is not as durable as garnet or ruby, and requires some care in wear. 

Other red and pink gemstones used in jewelry include Rose (or “Cherry”) Quartz, Pink Opal, Peach Moonstone, and others.