Morganite Education

Morganite Overview

One of the most underrated gemstones in the industry today is the morganite. First discovered in 1910, morganite is a variety of the mineral beryl, the same as their cousins the emerald and aquamarine. Known for its bright pink and peach color, Morganite is considered by many industry retailers to be one of the most popular color gemstones for engagement rings, after sapphires. It's growing popularity is the result of a number of reasons, particularly its rich color, excellent value, and celebrity trends.

The trademark of a morganite is a bright peach color. Peach color has been in high fashion for the last 10 years and undoubtedly morganite has seen its popularity skyrocket due to it. Morganite's color is the result of the presence of the trace element manganese in the mineral beryl.

In recent years, pink color morganites have become extremely popular. This coveted soft baby pink color is very rare to achieve and less than 1% of morganites come in this rare true baby pink color. Due to its rarity and popularity in color, pink morganites trade at 2 to 5 times premium in prices over peach morganites. The purer the pink color the more expensive the gem would be. The color of pink morganite can vary from a very light pale, almost colorless pink, to a medium pink hue. It is this range of colors that makes the pink morganites so popular - it can be a hint of pink to accentuate a jewelry piece, or a vibrant, deep pink to stand out as a centerpiece. The visuals of the morganite are versatile and as such appealing to a wide range of customers.

Another appeal of the morganite is its excellent value. Geologically speaking, morganites are rarer than diamonds. They are also rarer than their beryl cousins the emerald and aquamarine. Yet, due to their relatively unknown status and new discovery, prices have yet to increase to match the rarity of this gemstone. Morganite crystals also tend to be quite large, leading to much larger gemstones available in the jewelry market. At the moment, it is an excellent investment to purchase a morganite. Like anything beautiful and rare, the cost of morganite is only expected to increase significantly in the next few years, leading many to purchase for their collections while still widely available.

Morganite has become quite popular amongst those looking to replicate celebrity trends. Pink diamonds, especially on the larger side, have become extremely popular amongst celebrities. Unfortunately for many, diamonds of significant size can range upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, the actor Ben Affleck famously proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a 6.1 carat pink diamond ring in 2002, worth approximately $2.5 million. It quickly became one of the most popular styles for engagement rings. Those looking to replicate it found the morganite to be a more than suitable replacement, at a fraction of the cost of a pink diamond.

On the Mohs scale of hardness, morganite ranks at an 8 out of 10. This hardness and durability, coupled with its typically larger size, makes it a great choice for any jewelry piece, especially engagement rings. Like all gemstones, morganites should be treated with care, however they can typically withstand the wear and tear of daily activity.

Morganite Quality and Pricing Factors

As with most gemstones, there is no individual standardized grading system for morganites. However, most stores follow a quality grading system of letter grade A to AAAA for morganites and GemsNY is following the same system. Quality of a morganite is predicated on three important factors: color, clarity and transparency. Pricing and quality are directly correlated, however origin, weight and treatment also have some impact on the value of a morganite, as discussed below.

Color

Color is the most important quality factor for a morganite and is the primary driver of value. General rule is that as color saturation of a morganite increases, the value increases. However, as the morganite color becomes oversaturated and eventually opaque, the price drops substantially. A very light color morganite and an overly dark/opaque morganite will generally command a similar price.

Clarity

It is not rare to find a morganite with no eye visible imperfections but most morganites carried by GemsNY are eye clean as we only carry the higher qualities of these gems. In the wholesale trade we evaluate morganite clarity using the following methodology:

(1) Holding the morganite face up 12 inches from the observer's eye

(2) Tilting the stone in various directions to visually inspect if any inclusions are visible

(3) Only imperfections viewable on the crown (top part of the gemstone) are inspected and not the pavilion (back side)

Cut / Transparency

Lapidaries cut morganites according to the shade of the morganite rough material to get the desired color (the primary price driver). Darker material is cut shallower to allow more light to go through the gem, while lighter material is cut deeper to allow the morganite to hold in more light and increase saturation. Cutting morganite is an art and requires years of experience.

Carat / Measurements

The weight of a gemstone is measured in a unit called carats (cts.). There are 5 carats in 1 gram. As discussed above, a morganite can be cut deep or shallow to maximize the color of the morganite. A deep cut 1 carat morganite will appear visually smaller than a 1 carat shallow morganite. For this reason, it is best to judge a morganite based on millimeter measurements (length and width) and not carat weight.

Click here for our Stone Size Chart which you can print to see the actual sizes of various shapes

Click here for our Stone Size Tool where you can input various measurements to see a basic rendering of centerstone sizes relative to your finger - particularly useful if you are planning to mount the gem in a ring.

Please Note: The carat weight listed on the website for pairs is the combined total weight of the two gemstones.

Origin

Morganites are mined in various locations around the world. All origins produce high and low quality gemstones. Currently there in excess premium for one origin over another. However, Morganites from Brazil and Madagascar tend to have higher quality deposits.

Treatment

Heat treatment is the main prevalent treatment that is accepted for morganites. Since it is not currently possible to detect whether a morganite is untreated or heated, all morganites are assumed to be heated. Morganites are heated at a temperature between 800 and 1,800 degrees to increase color saturation and induce a more peach/pink color. Heating a morganite is an art and if applied inappropriately may result in loss of color and even damage.

Overall Grading Value

Many local jewelers use a letter grading system to educate their customers of quality. To assist our customers to relate to the jewelers grading system, we have provided an overall grade. Please see the full grading scale and description below:

Morganite (Pink) Quality Grading

QUALITY GRADE % OF ALL MORGANITE (PINK) DESCRIPTION
AAAA (Heirloom) Top 1%

Fine quality gems that are typically found at very high-end boutiques. They have rich color, slightly included to eye clean clarity and tend to exhibit nice sparkle. These gems tend to appreciate most in value over time due to rarity and high demand.

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AAA (Excellent) Top 10%

High quality gems that are typically found in high end stores such as on 5th Avenue. They have vivid to medium color and slightly included to very slightly included eye clarity.

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Morganite (Peach) Quality Grading

QUALITY GRADE % OF ALL MORGANITE (PEACH) DESCRIPTION
AAAA (Heirloom) Top 1%

Fine quality gems that are typically found at higher end boutiques. They have rich color, slightly included to eye clean clarity and tend to exhibit nice sparkle. These gems tend to appreciate most in value over time due to rarity and high demand.

...View More
AAA (Excellent) Top 10%

High quality gems that are typically found in high end stores such as on 5th Avenue. They have vivid to medium color and slightly included to very slightly included eye clarity.

...View More


Care Instructions

Morganites are easy to take care of due to their hardness and durability. To keep your morganite jewelry sparkling you may want to clean it to remove the unwanted dirt and residue build up. Here are a few care tips to keep your morganite jewelry clean and shiny.

1) Avoid contact with make-up, harsh chemicals (i.e. chlorine and bleach), moisturizers and abrasives. It's best to take jewelry off when in contact with these items. Never swim or bathe with your jewelry on. It is also best to avoid hard impact activities such as exercising and gardening that may scratch or chip the morganite.

2) Clean your morganite by pouring lukewarm water in a bowl and mixing with mild cleaning detergent. Submerge your jewelry until the dirt and residue are moistened. Then use a soft toothbrush to clean the underside of the morganite. Once clean, rinse and dry with a soft cloth. For extremely dirty jewelry, you may need to repeat the process.

3) Store your morganite jewelry individually and avoid contact with other jewelry to prevent scratching. Keep the morganite away from heat and direct sunlight. For every day rings (such as engagement rings), we recommend a weekly rudimentary check to ensure the center gem is not loose. Take off the ring and shake it next to the ear (can also tap) and see if you hear rattling. If you do, immediately stop wearing it and get it tightened.

4) We highly recommend an annual maintenance of your morganite jewelry to have the gems tightened and jewelry cleaned professionally. This will ensure your jewelry lasts a lifetime.

5)Do not use commercial jewelry cleaners or ultrasonic cleaners for your Morganite jewelry.