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Morganite Sources and History
Compared to gems that have been known and appreciated for hundreds or thousands of years, morganite is a newcomer. Commercial quantities of pink beryl (the name by which morganite was known at that time) with a rich color were first discovered in Madagascar in 1910. George Kunz, Tiffany and Company’s chief gemologist, obtained specimens of the material…
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Synthetic and Imitation Morganite
Three types of morganite are present in the gem and jewelry market: natural morganite, synthetic morganite, and imitation morganite. We explain the differences below… Natural Morganite is gem material that was formed within the Earth by natural processes. It is the most valuable type of morganite and is highly preferred by many buyers. Some people think…
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Popularity of Morganite
Until about 2011, morganite was almost unknown in jewelry stores. Since then it has been growing in popularity. This can clearly be demonstrated with a graph of search engine query volume from Google Trends (see graph above). Today morganite can be found in most jewelry stores, often in rose gold mountings. A 2019 survey done…
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Durability of Morganite
As a variety of beryl, morganite has a Mohs hardness of 7.5 to 8. This is harder than all but a few popular gemstones (diamond, ruby, sapphire, and topaz) and harder than almost any common object that a gemstone might come in contact with. This makes morganite an excellent stone for use in engagement rings, which are expected to retain…
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Morganite’s Color
Morganite has a color that ranges from slightly yellowish orange, to orange, to orangy pink, to pink, to slightly purplish pink. This color range appeals to many people and has an attractive appearance in rose gold jewelry mountings, which have also grown in popularity. Trace amounts of manganese are the cause of natural color in morganite. Most…
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What is Morganite?
Morganite is the name of an orange to pink gemstone that has significantly grown in popularity since 2010. It is a variety of beryl, a beryllium aluminum silicate mineral with a high durability. Morganite is distinguished from other types of beryl by its orange-pink color. After sapphire, morganite is the second-most-popular colored gem used as a center stone in engagement rings today. Faceted…