Morganite is one of the most beloved gems in the market. Its engagement ring is popular because it is an affordable diamond ring alternative and simulants. Dazzle with morganite today.
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Morganite vs. Diamond
Morganite is one of the best examples of a diamond alternative. A diamond alternative is usually a synthetic or semiprecious stone that acts as a substitute for diamonds. As you may know, diamonds are expensive, and not everyone can afford them. Simulants and diamond alternatives bridge the gap for the market. Morganite is considered a middle of the road alternative that has high durability and looks beautiful on jewelry.
The truly great thing about morganite is it comes in many colors. Colored diamonds are highly prized, and therefore, if you have a colored diamond simulant, your jewelry will look twice as rare and valuable. What you are truly paying for in this regard is the appearance of the simulant. It’s close to the appearance of the real thing.
Why do people love morganite?
Morganite’s aesthetic value and price are beautiful to collectors and regular jewelry buyers. Morganite is often chosen as a diamond alternative for engagement rings, too. Morganite espouses the same warm and feminine meanings attributed to diamonds. It is considered a semiprecious stone of pure beauty as well.
Between diamonds and morganite, which is the better pick?
We believe that if you can’t buy a diamond engagement ring, it’s essential to be more practical. Morganite is more accessible than diamonds and other semiprecious stones.
How is Morganite Made?
Morganite is a type of beryllium silicate. It comes in multiple hues and can appear naturally in purple, pink, and even peach. Like other beryl gems, morganite is durable and scores an average of 7.5 to eight in the Mohs scale of hardness. It has a first refractive index of 1.562 as well. Even beginners will be able to successfully identify morganite gemstones by paying closer attention to its fire and durability. Since morganite is up there in durability, it will be able to scratch gems with a lower strength register.
The largest commercial deposits of morganite are found in countries like Madagascar and Brazil. Gem-quality deposits also exist in Russia, Mozambique, and Maine, and California in the United States. If you look at the composition of morganite, it shares similar characteristics with gemstones like heliodor and goshenite. It is also related to the blue aquamarine and the green emerald. Within this family of gemstones, the rarest would have to be the red bixbite. There is also the pezzottaite and the bazzite.
How to Choose a Diamond Alternative or Morganite Engagement Ring?
To select the best kind of morganite engagement ring, you need to know the basic properties of the gemstone. For one, the color of the morganite gemstone is more intense as the gemstones’ size increases. The intensity of the color also has an impact on the price of the gem. The most popular morganite gems for engagement rings and other sought out jewelry is pink.
Morganite is common with diamond cut. Sometimes, the cut of the morganite will affect its price. Specific cuts are done to enhance the natural characteristics of morganite.
What about visible flaws?
One of the more interesting traits of this gemstone is that it rarely, or ever, shows visible inclusions or physical flaws. There may be microscopic inclusions, but these are not visible to the naked eye. So if you are purchasing faceted morganite, don’t expect to see any flaws.
Diamonds, on the other hand, may have minor flaws, and these flaws are usual. Unless there are severe cracks that genuinely affect the diamonds’ appearance, internal inclusions do not severely affect the value of diamonds.
Is morganite durable?
Diamonds are the most robust gems on Earth. They have a hardness level often, which means they can scratch other gems easily. Morganite is not far off with its durability scale, so you wouldn’t have to worry about your morganite being scratched inside the jewelry box – unless you have harder gems. Some diamond simulants may be slightly harder, so be sure to keep your simulants and diamond alternatives packed away from each other in jewelry storage.
How is morganite priced?
Many factors affect the market value of morganite.
- Color
- Size
- Luster
- Clarity
Color and size
The most common factor is the color and size of the gem. The larger the morganite, the more expensive it can get. In terms of color availability, the most expensive and rarest type of morganite is the super rare magenta variant. This variety of morganite has only be found in Madagascar. There are other commercial deposits of morganite, but they simply do not yield this color variant.
Luster and clarity
Another factor that affects the price of this semiprecious stone is the luster and clarity of the stone. Morganite that has high-level transparency will likely fetch a lot of money in the jewelry market. The better stones should also be eye-clean because it’s not common for this gem to show inclusions. During processing, the vitreous luster of morganite will naturally shine.
Morganite gems are typically faceted to bring out their best attributes. Care is taken to ensure that the cleavage is reduced to a minimum. This is done by adequately orienting the plane of the morganite before the processing. Should a morganite stone exhibit the visual effect called “cat’s eye” or chatoyancy, the morganite is instead turned into a cabochon. The cabochon cut is best suited for showing the cat’s eye effect.
You will find morganite in a variety of cuts in the jewelry market. There are plenty of pears, ovals, round and cushion-cut morganite for every kind of taste. There are also trillion-cut morganite and briolettes.
The vast majority of morganite in the jewelry market are not processed via super-heating. Super-heating is often done to enhance color or correct imperfections in gemstones. Some stones may be heated but with lower temperatures than other gems heated above 400° Celsius.