In 1911, the pink variety of Beryl was named for the famous financier J. Pierpont Morgan. Pink Beryl had already been used in jewelry for quite a while, and the naming was partly a marketing move to distinguish the pink stones from other types of Beryl. Mr. Morgan was also a collector, so a bit of flattery might also have influenced this move.

Morganite

The Mineral...

Morganite shares the same mineral composition as other types of Beryl. Traces of manganese give it is pink hue. Like other Beryls, Morganite is hard (7.5 - 8 on the MOHS scale), and is suitable even for rings, bracelets and other jewelry which may be exposed to greater wear and tear.

The major source for Morganite is Brazil, with other important sources located in the U.S. (California, Connecticut, Maine, North Carolina), Afghanistan, Madagascar, Namibia and Russia.

The largest cut Morganite weighs almost 600 carats, and is on display in the British Museum of Natural History. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History displays a 250 carat Morganite in its Hall of Gems.

What to Look for...

• First and foremost, you want good color in a Morganite. A Pink Beryl that displays little or no pink is not going to have much value.
• The color in even top Morganite gems is seldom very strong. Because the color is amplified as light passes through greater thickness, a larger stone will tend to better show off the pink hue. Small stones can look nearly colorless under most conditions. So, if presented with two equally saturated (intense) gemstones, size does make a difference in the perceived color.
• How the stone is cut can also influence the intensity of the color, so cut can also be important. A shallow stone will usually seem paler.
• Color in a gem which is already in a ring or other setting can be affected by the metal color or surrounding gems. So a well-set stone uses a setting which takes this into account.
• There is a range of hues in Morganite, going from Pinkish Orange, to Pink, to a slightly Purplish Pink (Lilac). Good Pinks and Lilacs command higher prices than gems which tend towards Orange. Greater color saturation substantially increases the value.
• Finding Morganites with very good clarity should not be a problem. However, like all Beryls, color is of paramount importance, and minor inclusions might be tolerated in a stone with superior color. The color should be evenly distributed, without obvious zoning. Although collectors find some types of inclusions and color combinations interesting, eye-clean Morganites are generally preferred for jewelry.
• To judge a Morganite's color from photos, it is best to have several views under different types of light and from different angles. Some backgrounds tend to wash out the colors, and others add false hues, so photos against a couple different backgrounds may also be desirable. If the photographs are insufficient to judge a stone, most sellers are happy to provide additional photos when requested.
• You should look for an untreated, natural stone. If this is not stated in the description of the gem, ask.

Treatments...

Morganite is sometimes heat-treated to produce a less orange and more pink stone. However, heat can also seriously degrade the color. Some shades of peach/apricot reportedly can be unstable (fading to light pink) with exposure to sun and/or heat.

Brownish Brazilian Heliodor has also been said to have been heat-treated to produce a stone with the appearance of Morganite. Other treatments (coatings, etc.) may be encountered, but these do not appear to be widespread at this time.

I have other Guides which include Morganite and the other Beryls...
Gems Related to Morganite
Other Gemstones

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