Hannah’s Reflections ~ Morganite
Hi, I am Hannah.
Each week I will be researching Gemstone Families, and writing my findings here, so you can learn with me.
Today, I will be writing about Morganite which is in The Beryl Family.
Morganite, the sister stone to emerald and aquamarine, didn't always have a special name. For many years morganite was known simply as pink beryl. Regarded as an exciting new gem alternative to pink sapphire, pink tourmaline and kunzite, it was Tiffany's celebrated gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, who renamed this unique gemstone morganite. By selecting this name, he paid tribute to New York banker and personal benefactor, John Pierpont Morgan, who was also a great admirer and collector of gemstones. (Interesting that the stone was named after a banker and collector of stones, i have seen that usually stones are named a lot earlier in history)
Morganite is in fact, essentially colorless, but impurities of magnesium give the stone its pink color, while iron impurities give the stone a yellowish or orange tinge. Heating the stone, an acceptable practice, reduces the iron content, thereby resulting in a more beautiful pink stone. (Fascinating that if the iron is heated in the stone, it reduces it’s content)
Morganite is the official gem of Madagascar. It is a beryllium aluminum silicate, a rare pink variety of beryl, and usually ranges in pink color from pink to rose to peach and violet.
Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog :)