Speaking of Gemstones - What is Morganite?

Sterling Silver and Morganite Ring by Nancy Troske

A large deposit of "pink beryl" was discovered in 1911 in Madagascar. It's finest color is a deep magenta, but most Morganites offered in today's commercial market are  pale pink.

 Morganite is a variety of Beryl which also includes emerald, aquamarine, golden beryl and bixbite. Some gemstone dealers have called this gemstone "pink emerald." However, many consider this a marketing ploy because emerald has to be a particular green color of beryl to be considered emerald. Morganite's color can vary soft pink to violet to salmon or peach.

John Pierpont Morgan was a connoisseur of gemstones and one of Tiffany's best customers, therefore they named the newly discovered gemstone in his honor and set out the promote it. It then became known as Morganite rather than pink beryl.

As Madagascar's Morganite deposits declined, new sources were discovered in Brazil which then became the top producer. Brazilian Morganites tend to be a peachy pink rather than a violet pink.  The ring show above is a Brazilian Morganite.

Beautiful shades of Morganite - the "pink beryl"

One nice thing about Morganite is that it tends to be eye clean and when cut properly is a gorgeous, lively gem that's full of light and sparkle as in my Morganite and silver ring shown here.

Sources of Morganite are:
   Brazil
   Madagascar
   Afghanistan
   USA - Utah

Hardness and Toughness:

7 1/2-8 on Mohs scale (Diamond is 10)
Good Toughness

Care and Cleaning:

Try to stay away from ultrasonic and steam cleaning.  Warm, soapy water is best.  Dry with a soft cloth like an eyeglass cloth or microcloth.

More info on how to purchase this ring or have one made.