Judging quality
Judge on transparency and color saturation; larger stones hold color better. Much material is heat-treated to shift orange toward pink, which is stable and standard.
Beryl
Morganite
Pink to peach beryl colored by manganese. Crystals tend to be tabular rather than long, and the softest apricot tones are the most characteristic.
Care
Durable. Warm soapy water; avoid harsh knocks on crystal edges.
History & lore
Named in 1911 for the financier and gem collector J.P. Morgan at the suggestion of Tiffany's chief gemologist George Kunz.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Morganite
- What is Morganite?
- Pink to peach beryl colored by manganese. Crystals tend to be tabular rather than long, and the softest apricot tones are the most characteristic.
- How hard is Morganite and what is it made of?
- Morganite is a Beryl-family mineral with the composition Be3Al2Si6O18. It crystallizes in the hexagonal system and rates 7.5-8 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in peach, pink.
- Where does Morganite come from?
- Notable localities for Morganite include Brazil, Madagascar, Afghanistan, USA (California).
- How do you tell good Morganite from filler?
- Judge on transparency and color saturation; larger stones hold color better. Much material is heat-treated to shift orange toward pink, which is stable and standard.
- How do you care for Morganite?
- Durable. Warm soapy water; avoid harsh knocks on crystal edges.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.