What is Morganite?

Morganite is a pink-orange gemstone which is growing in popularity.  It is a member of a family of gemstones known as "beryls" which have a hexagonal crystal growth with six-sided prisms.

One of the most well known forms of beryl gemstones in the emerald.  Beryl gemstones have a Mohs hardness of around 7.5 to 8.

The pink colour in a morganite gemstone comes from the presence of small traces of manganese.  Depending on the amount of manganese present, morganite can range from pale pink to a darker rose pink and very rarely violet in colour.

The first Morganite was discovered in 1910 in Madagascar.  It was named after the mineral collector J. P. Morgan who was a friend and good customer of the discoverer - Goerge Kunz.

Morganite is still found mainly in Madagascar, Brazil, Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

With its soft pink colours, Morganite is often associated with innocence, compassion, love and romance.