The lure of pink – Morganite

Morganite is a relatively new gemstone with significant deposits found in Madagascar and Brazil and for many years it was simply known as pink beryl.

It wasn’t, however, until 1910 that the first morganite to be described as such was found in California. It was then subsequently introduced to the American market by the jeweller Tiffany who named the stone after the American banker and gem enthusiast J.P. Morgan.

Morganite is perhaps one of the lesser known varieties of the beryl gemstone family which includes the more familiar green emerald and blue aquamarine. It is a mainly translucent and generally pale in colour with its soft pastel shades coloured by trace elements of manganese

Unlike its cousin emerald, morganite benefits from not having many inclusions which makes it far less susceptible to fracture. It’s a relatively hard gemstone and together with its durability it is suitable for everyday wear.

As it is a relatively new gemstone there are no antique pieces and indeed we very rarely see any second hand pieces become available. Maybe once those who have enjoyed the beauty of the stones don’t want to part with them.

New designs introduced this season include this beautiful teardrop morganite collection. These pieces are so feminine with delicate curves, highlighted with tiny diamonds and set in rose gold.

Another designer also uses rose gold with morganite. I think the rose gold works particularly well accentuating the gemstones colour and on this occasion with the additional detail of the fine milgrain edging on the ring and pendant.

In 1989, an enormous morganite was discovered in a quarry in Maine, ‘The Rose of Maine’ weighed in 115,000 carats (approximately 50Ibs) and this specimen was then made into several cut gems.

Interestingly, we don’t often get a chance to see a large cushion cut morganite but there is one to see at the British museum as part of their collection. It weighs in at a whopping 598.70carats (approximately 9Ibs).