Pink Tourmaline may vary in color from pale pink to deep red, and in clarity from flawless transparent gems to opaque rough crystals, yet all are devoted to serving the highest aspects of the heart. A primary stone of the Heart Chakra, Pink Tourmaline links to the Crown Chakra infusing love and spirituality, encouraging compassion and gentleness during periods of growth and changes as humanity works toward enlightenment. Although Tourmaline may be found on every continent, fine crystal specimens and gems are still considered rare and can be quite expensive. Its vast popularity as a gemstone began in 1876 when mineralogist and jeweler George Kunz sold a Green Tourmaline from Maine to the famous Tiffany and Co. in New York, and its desirability spread. More recently it has become a favorite of metaphysical collectors and practitioners for its versatile energy properties. Tourmaline belongs to a complex family of aluminum borosilicates mixed with iron, magnesium, or other various metals that, depending on the proportions of its components, may form as red, pink, yellow, brown, black, green, blue or violet. It is prismatic, vertically striated crystals may be long and slender, or thick and columnar, and are uniquely triangular in cross-section. They often vary in coloration within a single specimen, lengthwise or in cross-sections, and may be transparent or opaque. A favorite among the Tourmalines is a variety known as Watermelon Tourmaline, named for its pink center surrounded by an outer green “rind.” This combination is considered a super activator of the Heart Chakra. While Pink Tourmaline is associated with the emotions, Green Tourmaline is beneficial in one’s physical being. Together they link to the higher self and are believed to bring true joy to one’s life and relationships. One of Tourmaline’s most distinguishing properties is its ability to become electrically charged simply by heating or rubbing it. When charged, one end becomes positive and the other negative, allowing it to attract particles of dust or bits of paper. This property of pyroelectricity (from heat) or piezoelectricity (from pressure or rubbing) was well-known to the Dutch traders of the 1700s who used Tourmaline to pull ash from their Meerschaum pipes, calling the stone Aschentrekker, or “ash puller.”