Morganite Buying and the Four Cs

The IGS beryl value listing includes price guidelines for morganite.

Color

Morganite is the salmon-colored to pink variety of beryl. Although sometimes described as “pink emerald,” this is inaccurate. Gemologists and reputable jewelers discourage this usage. The stone’s color, symbolic of love, arises from the presence of manganese. Heat treatments often enhance this color. Like other colored stones, the most important factor in cost is the gem’s color.

In today’s market, consumers value pink hues most highly. Although purplish morganites command lower prices than the pink variety, slightly purple hues can make gems quite lovely.

Morganites always have light tones, only reaching grades of 3 (very light). Nevertheless, consumers favor darker tones. You might encounter some nearly colorless stones sold as morganites. However, these should be labeled goshenites, the colorless variety of beryl. As with other colored stones, even tones earn the highest values.

Morganites exhibit pleochroism, appearing pale pink from one direction but exhibiting slight purple hues from another. In order to have the best color for the finished product, lapidaries should carefully consider the gem’s orientation and cut.

Clarity

Top-quality morganites should receive clarity grades of VS or VVS, “very…