Pink Chalcedony

Like other chalcedony, it forms at relatively low temperatures from silica-rich waters, commonly in cavities and fissures of volcanic rocks. Natural pink chalcedony "roses" weather out of volcanic host rock in the Mopah Range of the Turtle Mountains, southern California.

Pink chalcedony has the waxy luster, translucency, lack of cleavage and quartz hardness of all chalcedony (refractive index of about 1.54 to 1.55, specific gravity near 2.6). Light-colored chalcedony can be dyed almost any color, sometimes after bleaching, so a pink color alone does not show whether a stone is natural; dyeing is common and should be disclosed, and a gemological laboratory can examine doubtful stones.

Chalcedony is a tough gem suitable for all kinds of jewelry and needs no special care. Clean it with mild detergent, warm water and a soft brush.

These records concern chalcedony in general rather than this color specifically. The name is generally traced to the ancient port of Chalcedon, now Kadıköy in Istanbul, Turkey; Agricola mentioned a stone named for the town in 1546. Chalcedony was used for cylinder seals in Mesopotamia as early as the 7th century BC and later for jewelry, buttons, cameos and intaglios.

Chalcedony in general was traditionally believed to drive away melancholy and evil spirits; Merrill (1922) recorded the belief that, worn as an amulet, it guarded against danger during tempests. It is also listed in the Bible (Revelation 21:19) as the third foundation stone of the Heavenly City.