Morganite: Properties, Facts and Photos

What is Morganite?

Morganite is a pink variety of the mineral beryl. Discovered in Madagascar in 1910, it was named not long afterwards by gemmologist and Tiffany & Co's vice president George Frederick Kunz.

Morganite was named in honour of American banker J.P. Morgan. As well as being an avid mineral collector, he also donated generously to the New York Museum of Natural History.

When used as a gemstone, Morganite is usually faceted. It's mainly used in fine jewellery.

It ranges in colour from yellowish-orange to peachy-orange to a peachy shade of pink. It can also be light violet.

The colour is usually very subtle, so stones are often heat-treated to increase saturation. Depending on the treatment used, the colour can also be enhanced to produce a richer or deeper shade of pink.

'Peach morganite' is a trade name for stones that are more peach-coloured than pink. Ironically, this is often the natural colour of morganite.

By definition, morganite is pink beryl, even though the colour may not be particularly pink.

Manganese impurities in morganite are largely responsible for its shade and depth of colour.

As well as Madagascar, morganite can also be found in Brazil, parts of the USA, Mozambique, Namibia, Afghanistan, and Russia.
On the Mohs scale of hardness, morganite grades 7.5 to 8. Although quite hard, it can chip or crack because it breaks more easily along natural planes of weakness within its crystal structure.

Morganite must be protected from excessive heat and significant temperature changes.

Article Pictures

The morganite in the picture at the top of our article is in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C. The stone is an enhanced cushion-cut gemstone from Brazil that weighs 448.64 carats.

The morganite in our second photo is courtesy of Steve Blyskal.