Morganite 6,8mm

Morganite is the pretty, peachy-pink variety of beryl, cousin to more familiar beryls like emerald and aquamarine. It is found chiefly in Brazil and Madagascar. Intense colors are hard to find and even light colors may command high prices. The pastel pink colors are a result of the presence of manganese or cesium. Morganite was first discovered in California in the early 20th century and soon thereafter in Madagascar. Though there are also small deposits in Brazil, Mozambique, Namibia, Afghanistan, and Russia, high quality morganite remains relatively rare.

Formerly known as pink beryl, the name Morganite was suggested by gemologist George F. Kunz the namesake of kunzite, and renamed as a separate gemstone in 1911 after J. Pierpont Morgan, an American banker and collector. Morgan was an avid collector and a customer of Tiffany's were Kunz was employed and where much of the country's morganite was sold at that time.

Discovered in the early 1900s and known for a while as simply "pink beryl," morganite was renamed as a separate gem in 1911. It has a relatively brief history, but with modern society's fondness for pink, morganite is gaining popularity in modern jewelry and is certain to become as well-known to the public as it is loved by collectors.

Morganite can be heated or irradiated or both to improve the color and the the resulting color is considered to be stable. Sometimes even colorless beryl (goshenite) can be treated to produce the more desirable colors of Morganite and this may be the most important source of all the large Morganites appearing on the market in recent years.