What is Morganite?
Morganite is a rare, pink semi-precious gemstone of the beryl family of minerals. Beryl is the mineral beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate. It's hexagonal crystals are transparent, except when another mineral is present that adds color. In the case of morganite, which is also called pink or rose beryl, it's manganese that gives it it's pinkish hue. The larger gemstones are more prized since their transparent pink color tends to be more pleasantly intense than the colors of smaller stones.
Many large morganite stones are a cool light pink to medium rose that is paired with white gold in jewelry designs. Some stones of this gem are more of a warm salmon pink that better suit yellow gold jewelry settings. While morganite is suitable for use in many different types of jewelry, it shouldn't be used for rings worn daily because these are likely to become scratched or chipped.
Whereas rings worn on the hands are likely to be banged around a bit, gemstones in a necklace or earrings usually receive less wear and tear. Diamonds are often used for rings worn daily, such as a wedding ring, as the diamond rates a perfect 10 for hardness on the Mohs scale. The Mohs scale is used to evaluate the hardness of gemstones to determine their durability for use in jewelry. Morganite only measures a 7.5 on the Mohs scale.
A morganite stone should never be marketed as a pink emerald because it isn't one and it's illegal to represent it as such. Emeralds are beryls as are aquamarines and heliodors. Aquamarines have an icy green-blue color, while heliodors are more of a rich green-yellow. Morganites are usually sold at a reasonable price, but they are rare and not easy to find on the market.
Morganites are found naturally in countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, Madagascar, Namibia and Russia. Some American states are good sources of morganites, including California and North Carolina. Due to its rarity, morganite tends to be collected more than it's sold.
The gem was known as pink beryl until 1911 when it was named for the gemstone collector and banker John Pierport (JP) Morgan, by the gemologist George Frederick Kunz. At the time, Morgan was the biggest customer of Tiffany's, the New York jewelry company. Cool pinkish morganite stones are often sold as pink or rose beryl. Warmer morganites may be marketed as peach or champagne beryl.
Written by Sheri Cyprus
