A Pretty Pastel Pink Gem - Morganite Beryl
By Chris Ralph
Morganite is a beautiful pastel gem that is little known and underrated. This pretty pink gemstone is rarely seen offered for sale in standard jewelry stores. For those who do know about it, it is rare enough that the stone is normally considered as collector's type of gemstone. Morganite is a pale to pastel pink member of the beryl family. While it is not a common gemstone, it is a gemstone that is much in demand. Because of its light color, it is not often seen in small sizes, but luckily many pink Beryl crystals are often medium to large, and so good-sized morganite gemstones are cut. As it always is with light-colored stones, the more richly colored specimens are in greater demand. Because of their greater depth, larger stones always show off their color better. The color of morganite is usually a soft pink, but warmer salmon pink tones are also common in this gemstone. It is colored by very small traces of the element manganese, which is incorporated in the crystal structure. Sometimes Morganite it treated with a light heating to remove the salmon or orangy tone, giving only the light pink color.
The Worldwide Sources of Morganite
Morganite was first discovered in southern California in the early twentieth century. A rich gem find of gemstone deposits containing tourmaline, kunzite, and other gems near the town of Pala in northern San Diego County produced several new gems, including Kunzite. Morganite was an exciting new discovery from this location, and in 1911 it was re-named in honor of John.P. Morgan, a famous American industrialist of that time. Prior to that time it was simply known as pink beryl - without any special name. Morganite was also discovered in Russia only a few years afterward and this gemstone commonly bears a different name in that country. Beautiful morganite gem crystals have been mined in a number of countries besides the USA, including such locations as Madagascar, Brazil, Mozambique, Namibia, Afghanistan, and Russia. Over the last century, Brazil has been the most important producer of morganite gem stones.
Selecting a Morganite Gem
When selecting a morganite gemstone, the color is by far the most important criterion. Decide if you are interested in purchasing a pink or more salmon colored stone. Note that this gemstone should be selected in as large a size as possible, for it is only in gems above a certain size that the beauty of its color really comes into its own. Some gems, especially smaller stones, can be very pale. Because morganite is commonly found in very clear and near flawless crystals, there is no need to purchase gems with significant visible flaws or inclusions. These stones are considerably less valuable than well colored flawless stones. The rule which says 'the more transparent, the more valuable' certainly applies to morganite. Because of its color, morganite looks very good in white gold settings. At a hardness of 7.5 (just like all other beryl gemstones), morganite is hard enough for most jewelry except rings which are worn everyday. In an everyday ring setting, the gem will get worn and scratched over an extended period of time. Morganites would be fine in rings which are worn only on special occasions.
While morganite is a stone which has always been a bit rare, and under some demand because of its beautiful pink coloration, the prices for most morganite gems are very moderate and it is not an especially expensive gem stone. While it may be hard to find, it's prices should be quite reasonable. Because both emerald and morganite are formed from the same kind of crystal, beryl, some unscrupulous promoters have tried to market morganite as “the pink emerald”. This title is both illegal and a manipulative marketing ploy, being an attempt to achieve otherwise unjustified higher prices for morganite gemstones.
For photos and more information on the gem beryl morganite as well as other beryl gems, see the author’s website at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Encyclopedia_pages/Morganite.htm The author has an entire set of web pages which are devoted to providing information about the world of gemstones. His gemstone information Encyclopedia page can be seen at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Encyclopedia_pages/Gemstone_Encyclopedia.htm Chris Ralph writes on small scale mining and prospecting for the ICMJ Mining Journal. He is a rock hound and prospector and owns his own turquoise mines in Nevada. His website on gemstones and jewelry can be viewed at:
http://nevada-outback-gems.com
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