Morganite (variety of Beryl)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

  
Morganite is named after J. P. Morgan, the famous investment banker and financier. The name Beryl is from ancient Greek meaning "precious blue-green color of sea water" stone which was originally applied only to Aquamarine but was later used for the Beryl family.

Discovery: Prehistoric;   IMA status: Not Valid (a variety of Beryl)

Chemistry

Chemical Formula:

Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ + Mn

Beryllium Aluminum Silicate + traces of Manganese

Molecular Weight:

521.21 gm

Composition:

Beryllium

5.03 %

Be

13.96 %

BeO

Aluminum

10.04 %

Al

18.97 %

Al₂O₃

Silicon

31.35 %

Si

67.07 %

SiO₂

Oxygen

53.58 %

O

100.00 %

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Silicates

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/E.12-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.CJ.05

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
C : Cyclosilicates
J : [Si₆O₁₈]₁₂- 6-membered single rings (sechser-Einfachringe), without insular complex anions

Related to:

Beryl Group

Members of Group:

Beryl, Bazzite, Pezzottaite, Stoppaniite

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

Rose Beryl

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Hexagonal - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals prismatic to tabular; may be complexly terminated by pyramids. Also radial, columnar; granular to compact.

Twinning:

Rarely

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Imperfect/Fair on [0001]

Fracture:

Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

7.5 - 8.0

Density:

2.71 - 2.90 (g/cm³)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Optical Properties

Color:

Various shades of Pink and peachy Pink

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous, Resinous

Refractive Index:

1.572 - 1.600  Uniaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.008 - 0.009

Dispersion:

0.014 (low)

Pleochroism:

Weak to Distinct; O = colorless, E = pink

Occurances

Geological Setting:

In granites and granite pegmatites, rarely in nepheline syenites. Also in mafic metamorphic rocks, low- to high-temperature hydrothermal veins.

Common Associations:

Quartz, Feldspar, Muscovite, Lepidolite, Spodumene, Amblygonite, Tourmaline, Topaz, Cassiterite, Columbite, Tantalite.

Common Impurities:

Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Cr, Na, Li, Cs, O, H, OH, H₂O, K, Rb

Type Locality:

n/a

Year Discovered:

Prehistoric

View mineral photos:

Morganite Mineral Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org (Morganite)
Mindat.org (Beryl)
Webmineral.com (Beryl)

Morganite is the pink variety of the Beryl Family of minerals that also includes Aquamarine (blue), Bixbite (red), Emerald (green), Goshenite (colorless), Heliodor (yellow) and Pezzottaite (reddish pink). Morganite gets its pink-peach color from traces of manganese added to the basic Beryl formula. Like Aquamarine, large Morganite crystals have been found. Gems of several hundred carats have been cut from large crystals found in Brazil.

Morganite is known from several sources worldwide but the best sources of gemmy crystals are Konar and Laghman Provinces, Afghanistan; Minas Gerais, Southeast Region, Brazil; and in the USA at the Elizabeth R. Mine, Chief Mountain, Pala District, San Diego County, California, USA.
 

  
Morganite gems for sale:

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