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Synthetic and Imitation Chrysoberyl
Synthetic chrysoberyl is a man-made material that has the same chemical composition, internal structure, physical properties, and appearance as natural chrysoberyl. It can be called lab-created chrysoberyl, lab-grown chrysoberyl, or man-made chrysoberyl or another name that clearly indicates its man-made origin. Imitation chrysoberyl can be a natural or man-made material. It does not have the…
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Varieties of Gem Chrysoberyl
The three varieties of gem-grade chrysoberyl and their cutting styles: 1) Chrysoberyl Translucent to transparent crystals of chrysoberyl are usually found in pegmatites, dolomitic marbles, and stream sediments. They are often yellow, yellowish green, green, brown or yellowish brown, and weigh less than five carats. Rare blue chrysoberyl crystals have also been found. Most chrysoberyl crystals are…
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Use of Chrysoberyl as a Gem
Most gem-grade chrysoberyl is translucent to transparent and is cut into faceted gems or en cabochon. However, some rare specimens of chrysoberyl exhibit the phenomena of chatoyance and/or color-change. Natural gem-quality chrysoberyls that exhibit the highest levels of these phenomena can sell for higher prices per carat than all but the highest quality diamonds.
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What Is Chrysoberyl?
Chrysoberyl is a rare beryllium aluminum oxide mineral with a chemical composition of BeAl2O4. It is sometimes confused with the silicate mineral known as beryl, which has a composition of Be3Al2Si6O18. The main commercial use of chrysoberyl is as a gemstone. It excels in that use because of its high hardness – 8 1/2 on the Mohs hardness scale. The only gem…
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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…