Morganite Description

Morganite
One of the advantages of beryl is its wide color range. These crystals show pastel shades: aquamarine's green and blue and morganite's pink. -photo credit Alan Jobbins.
Like many gems found in pegmatites, morganite can form large crystals. Miners in Brazil have found crystals as large as 22 lbs. (10 kg). The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., includes two faceted gems weighing 236 cts. and 250 cts. in its collection. Although morganite is rarer than aquamarine, large cut stones are readily available on today’s market. That’s probably because morganite hasn’t been promoted to the jewelry-buying public nearly as widely as aquamarine or emerald.

Most of the morganite on the market comes from pegmatite mines in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Afghanistan, Mozambique, Namibia, and the US have been minor and inconsistent sources. While it’s only a minor producer today, the original Madagascar deposit still sets the standard for the best material. That location’s yield of magenta-colored rough was superior to crystals from other sources. This impressive morganite crystal from the Serra do Urucum mine, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is 11 cm high. The faceted stone is 84.88 carats. - Jeff Scovil
This impressive morganite crystal from the Serra do Urucum mine, Galileia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, is 11 cm high. The faceted stone is 84.88 carats. - Jeff Scovil
This morganite mine is in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, near Govenador Valderas. Morganite is usually mined from solidified magma-released fluids called pegmatites. - Eric Welch/GIA.
This morganite mine is in the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, near Govenador Valderas. Morganite is usually mined from solidified magma-released fluids called pegmatites. - Eric Welch/GIA.