|
|
www.mineralgallery.co.za Minerals K-O |
|
|
Morganite |
||
Name
Morganite
Chemistry
Be3AlSiO6
Uses
As a gemstone
Color
Light to slightly darker pink, sometimes colour banded with blue.
Hardness
7.5-8
Specific gravity
2.65-2.8
Morganite is the pink variety of beryl.
The color of pale stones can be intensified by heat-treatment.
Morganite is sometimes also called "pink beryl",
gem-quality beryl coloured pink or rose-lilac by the presence of cesium.
It is often found with peach, orange, or pinkish yellow beryl (also called morganite); these colours transform to pink or purplish upon high-temperature heat treatment.
Morganite crystals often show colour banding: blue near the base, through nearly colourless in the centre, to peach or pink at the terminations. This colour change is probably caused by differences in the composition of the solution from which the crystal grew.
Morganite is commonly found as squat, tabular crystals in lithia pegmatites.Morganite closely resembles rose quartz, the difference lies in the lustre. Morganite that is facetted in the correct way is more lustrous than rose quartz.
It has excellent fire . Unfortunately . it is very rare, especially flawless specimens. It is most effective facetted.