Morganite is an orange or pink gemstone and is also a variety of

beryl Beryl ( ) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring, hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several ...

. Morganite can be mined in countries like Brazil, Afghanistan,

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

, the United States, and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. Morganite has grown in popularity since 2010. '' Brides'' and CNN have even listed it as a good alternative to

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

Name

Morganite is named after J. P. Morgan. Morganite is also known as pink beryl, rose beryl, pink emerald, and "cesian (or ''caesian'') beryl".

Characteristics

The pink color of morganite is attributed to Mn²⁺ ions. Morganite is pleochroic, when it is view down its c crystallographic axis the color is more pink. In comparison to

emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

, morganite lacks inclusions and fractures. Thus making it more durable than emerald.

History

Pink beryl of fine color and good sizes was first discovered on an island off the coast of Madagascar in 1910. It was also known, with other gemstone minerals, such as

tourmaline Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral group in which boron is compounded with elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. Tourmaline is a gemstone and can be found in a wide variety of colors. ...

and

kunzite Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium inosilicate, Li Al( Si O3)2, and is a source of lithium. It occurs as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite ...

, at

Pala, California Pala is a small, mostly Native American, community and CDP located in the Pala Indian Reservation, located within San Diego County, California. For centuries a traditional gathering place of native peoples, it was selected in the early 19th c ...

. In December 1910, the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (originally the Lyceum of Natural History) was founded in January 1817 as the Lyceum of Natural History. It is the fourth oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization wit ...

named the pink variety of beryl "morganite" after financier J. P. Morgan. On October 7, 1989, one of the largest gem morganite specimens ever uncovered, eventually called "The Rose of Maine", was found at the Bennett Quarry in Buckfield,

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

, US. The crystal, originally somewhat orange in hue, was long and about across, and weighed (along with its matrix) just over . Before 2011, morganite was unknown in many jewelry stores. But, recently morganite has been increasing in popularity.

Value and popularity

According to a 2017 survey, morganite is the second most popular non-diamond stone, after sapphire. A single carat of morganite can cost about $300. Since morganites are the rarest variety of beryl it is therefore the most expensive beryl. Ones that are deep pink in color tend to be the most valuable.

References

{{reflist Gemstones Beryl group