Sister gems to Aquamarine and Emerald, Marropino Morganite is named for its famous mine located in Mozambique’s Zambezia Province. Marropino Morganite beautifully showcases fine, ‘signature’ pinks and pinkish-peaches, which are exceedingly scarce from any Morganite locale, but even more so from the highly-coveted, yet frustratingly sporadic, Marropino Mine. Exuding feminine charm, Marropino Morganite complements all complexions, day or night, displaying an attractive even color, high-clarity, optimal lapidary, excellent brilliance, and wonderful light play; key quality considerations for this gemstone.
Hardness 7.5 – 8
Refractive Index 1.562 – 1.602
Relative Density 2.71 – 2.90
Enhancement Heat & Irradiated
Beauty
Brilliantly showing their characteristic pinks and pinkish-peaches, Marropino Morganites’ highly-desirable hues, saturations and tones constitute less than 10 percent of total Morganite production, making this beautiful rare gem even rarer.
As Morganite typically has a high-clarity and transparency, color is its most important value determinant. With deft lapidary accentuating its innate beauty and color, Marropino Morganite is optimally faceted by experienced lapidaries who carefully orientate each crystal to maximize its colorful brilliance, maintaining a high-polish/luster, attractive overall appearance (outline, profile and proportions), and an eye-clean clarity, the highest quality clarity grade for colored gemstones as determined by the world’s leading gemological laboratories.
Discovered in Madagascar in 1911, Morganite was called ‘Pink Beryl’ until it was renamed by Tiffany’s famous gemologist, George Frederick Kunz, in honor of his benefactor, the New York banker and philanthropist, John Pierpont Morgan. Morganite is a member of the Beryl mineral family (from the ancient Greek ‘beryllos’, meaning blue-green stone), commonly known as the ‘mother of gemstones’ because of its highly regarded gem varieties. Pure Beryl is colorless and trace amounts of elements are responsible for producing Beryl’s wonderful colors. Morganite’s attractive pink hues are caused by trace amounts of manganese. Apart from Morganite pinks, other Beryl gemstones include Aquamarine blues, Emerald greens, Golden Beryl yellows, Goshenite whites (colorless), Heliodor greenish-yellows, and Red Beryl reds.
Rarity
Unfortunately, the only limit to Morganite’s popularity is its scarcity. Morganite is currently mined in Afghanistan, Brazil, Madagascar, Mozambique and Nigeria, with Mozambique and Nigeria being the current significant producers, but even their output is very limited.
Marropino Morganite is from the Marropino Mine in the Alto Ligonha District of Mozambique’s Zambezia Province Opened around 2005, Marropino was placed on care and maintenance in May 2008. With no production from the mine in 2015, Marropino Morganite continues to be plagued by sporadic output and limited availability. Currently, Marropino Morganite of this quality is virtually unattainable in the open marketplace.
Durability & Care
Marropino Morganite (Mohs’ Hardness: 7.5 – 8) is an excellent choice for everyday jewelry. Always store Marropino Morganite carefully to avoid scuffs and scratches. Clean with gentle soap and lukewarm water, scrubbing behind the gem with a very soft toothbrush as necessary. After cleaning, pat dry with a soft towel or chamois cloth.
Map Location
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