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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…
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Citrine as a Healing Stone?
People have collected gem materials for thousands of years and marveled over their beauty. Through time and in all parts of the world, many people have believed that gem materials have the ability to heal, protect, or comfort a person who owns or wears them. Even though there is no scientific evidence that gemstones have…
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Ametrine
Ametrine is a bicolor quartz that has zones of golden yellow citrine and deep purple amethyst in contact with one another in a single crystal. The origin of the name is a combination of AMEthyst and ciTRINE to yield “ametrine.” Ametrine is a rare gem, with most of the world’s commercial ametrine production from the Anahi…
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Sources of Citrine
Small quantities of naturally colored citrine are found at many locations throughout the world. The frequency of its occurrence is demonstrated by the locality maps at mindat.org. The most important commercial source of citrine with a natural yellow to orange color are the pegmatites of eastern Brazil. Other countries where citrine has been produced include: Argentina, Bolivia, Madagascar, Mexico, Russia, Spain, and Uruguay. The…
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Natural, Treated, Synthetic
Five categories of citrine exist in the gem and jewelry market. These are: 1. citrine with a natural color2. citrine with a natural color, but enhanced by treatment3. citrine produced by heating light amethyst4. synthetic citrine (a man-made product)5. imitation citrine (a man-made product that is not SiO2) All of these are legitimate products; however,…
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Citrine Geodes
One of the most impressive specimens of citrine that you might encounter is a large citrine geode from Brazil. These are often offered for sale at major gem and mineral shows. Gem hunters find these geodes in the Brazilian basalt fields, then clean and prepare them to stand as a crystal tower in your living room. They can be two, or four,…