Ever since Ben Affleck proposed to J. Lo with a pink diamond ring, pink, peachy, and salmon-colored gemstones became one of the hottest jewelry trends. Today, things have not changed much. On the contrary, given the ethical controversy surrounding diamonds in general and the world’s passion for pink stones in particular, the gem du jour is now morganite. Should you buy and wear it? We will learn immediately!
What Is Morganite?
Morganite is a rare semi-precious stone from the beryl family (its more famous brethren being aquamarine and emerald) featuring the sweetest shades of pink, peachy-pink, salmon pink, and rose pink. As you can probably guess, morganite is the stone of choice when it comes to engagement rings these days.
If you like to know more about morganite and diamonds’ differences and similarities, we recommend you some further reading on such topics. As you will learn, morganite is not such a prestigious gem as diamonds are, but its appeal (both aesthetic and financial) is making waves in the jewelry trade. Moreover, morganite matches some types of personalities and styles better than diamonds, although the latter is still cult-classics when it comes to luxury jewelry.
Romantics consider morganite the wearable alternative to pink diamonds – the perfect picture of engagement rings, the ideal stone to embody femininity, romance, warmth, love, tenderness, and pure beauty. Nevertheless, are these gems worth it?
Morganite vs. Diamond: What do You Buy?
For us to answer this question, we have to look at the intrinsic and financial value of both gems and factor in the target audience they address.
Morganite
The most abundant resources of morganite in the world are in Brazil, although the gem came initially from Madagascar. Furthermore, morganite exploitations are currently undergoing on a smaller scale in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mozambique, Namibia, and the U.S. One of the most significant aspects of morganite mining is that it does not come with the label “blood” on it, nor with human rights violation controversy as some diamonds do. If you want to buy morganite jewelry such as a morganite necklace, here are some things you need to look for and know:
If you want to buy morganite jewelry, here are some things you need to look for and know:
- Color: The larger the morganite stone is, the more intense its color is; therefore, darker morganite stones are more expensive. The most popular morganite pieces are the ones featuring strong pink shades.
- Cut: Just like diamonds, morganites can come in different cuts and shapes, without them altering their quality or beauty.
- Clarity: Surprisingly, while morganites are not perfect, they do not feature visible inclusions or flaws like diamonds do. You will see some inclusions with the naked eye in large and sizeable If you pick a piece of jewelry with faceted morganite, you will not see flaws.
- Hardiness: Again, to everybody’s surprise, morganite is a hard, durable, and resilient stone, much as diamonds are. It cannot equal a diamond in hardiness (nothing can), but it comes at 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale.
- Carat: You can buy large morganite stones at a fraction of the price of diamonds and have some outstanding pieces of jewelry. However, most morganite stones feature carats, sizes, and calibrated weights to match most jewelry designs and mountings.
- Price: High-quality morganites are not cheap. Just because they are semi-precious, it does not mean you will not have to pay for durability, beauty, and size. However, in comparison to diamonds, you have not many reasons of financial concern.
If you factor in durability, clarity and soft color of the morganite, together with the stones’ sizes and price tags, it makes perfect sense to buy them instead of diamonds.
The jewelry market also knows that modern women who love jewelry but are not fond of flashing their glamorous stones at the office or during business meetings are more likely to wear morganite daily. The pink stones are more versatile, more wearable, and even safer than diamonds.
Affordability and availability are even more reasons to buy and wear morganites in contemporary, vintage, or classic montages.
And yet…
Diamonds
…are timeless, infinite, valuable as an investment, and still going strong despite the ethical controversy, environmental issues, counterfeiting issues, enormous prices, and scarcity on the mass market. Diamonds are still luxury markets best friends, even if nowadays we do not see them too often outside bridal jewelry departments.
In comparison to morganite, which you can wear in beautiful engagement rings, pendants, statement necklaces, earrings and more, diamonds – as expensive as they are – are usually the crowd-favorite when it comes to high-end small pieces and wedding rings.
The ultimate choice between morganite and diamonds belongs to the wearer. Do you want a gorgeous stone to wear every day or a famous rock to wear once a year at extraordinary events? Do you want to keep your diamonds in a deposit box or a safe and wear imitations every day, or do you want to display your femininity, charm, and warmth no matter the occasion?
Both stones are beautiful and valuable, and you can have both if you want. Morganite and diamonds look amazing together, as they enhance each other’s best properties. It all depends on your style.
