Morganite color chart: shades, names and which color is finest
By HeyGema™ · Updated
In short
Morganite is the pink to peach variety of beryl. Light tones are normal for morganite. A round 1 carat morganite measures about 7.0 mm.
- 4shades on the chart
- 7.0 mm1 carat, round
- 7.5 to 8hardness (Mohs)
Morganite colors
Morganite is the pink to peach variety of beryl. Its colors are pink, rose, peach and salmon.
- Light pinkA typical pale stone.
- RoseA stronger pink.
- PeachA pink that leans toward orange.
- SalmonA deeper peach.
The swatches are illustrations picked to match the color names. Screens and light change how color looks, and a cut stone changes with the light, so judge a stone in person or from a daylight photo.
Which morganite color is finest
Light tones are normal for morganite. Strongly colored stones are uncommon and usually need to be large.
How gemologists describe color
Gemologists describe the color of a stone with hue, tone and saturation, and look at the three together. For colored stones they also look at how evenly the color is spread.
- Hue
- The color you would name, such as blue, green or red, or a blend such as bluish green.
- Tone
- How light or dark that color looks, from pale to very dark.
- Saturation
- How strong or pure the color looks, from dull (grayish or brownish) to vivid.
- Evenness
- How evenly the color is spread through the stone. Color zoning is uneven color, such as bands or patches you can see.
Colored stones have no single color scale like the D to Z scale for diamonds, so sellers use their own words. Ask for a daylight photo and for the size in mm as well as the carat weight.
What affects morganite color
- Cause of color
- Traces of manganese.
- Treatments
- Morganite is almost always heated to improve the pink, and the change cannot be detected. Heat and light also remove the yellow part of peach beryl.
- Light and angle
- Morganite is pleochroic: a pale pink in one direction and a deeper bluish pink in another, so how the stone is cut affects its color.
- Wear and care
- Morganite is less durable than diamond, ruby or sapphire.
Morganite color and size
Gems usually have to be large to reach the finest color. Carat is weight, not size. A round 1 carat morganite measures about 7.0 mm, against 6.5 mm for a diamond of the same weight. This table gives the face-up size of a well-cut morganite.
- 1 ct
- Round: 7.0 mm
- Oval: 8.6 x 5.9 mm
- Cushion: 6.0 x 6.0 mm
- 2 ct
- Round: 8.8 mm
- Oval: 10.9 x 7.5 mm
- Cushion: 7.6 x 7.6 mm
- 3 ct
- Round: 10.0 mm
- Oval: 12.5 x 8.6 mm
- Cushion: 8.7 x 8.7 mm
- 5 ct
- Round: 11.9 mm
- Oval: 14.8 x 10.2 mm
- Cushion: 10.3 x 10.3 mm
- 8 ct
- Round: 13.9 mm
- Oval: 17.3 x 11.9 mm
- Cushion: 12.1 x 12.1 mm
See the full morganite size chart for every shape, or use the carat to mm calculator for any weight.
Morganite properties
- Hardness (Mohs)
- Value: 7.5 to 8
- Refractive index
- Value: 1.572 to 1.600
- Specific gravity
- Value: 2.80 to 2.90
A pink to peach beryl. A little denser than emerald or aquamarine, still lighter than diamond.
How to compare morganite stones
- Look at each stone in daylight and under indoor light. Color shifts with the light.
- Ask for the size in mm as well as the carat weight. A morganite of the same weight can differ in size by shape and cut.
- Ask whether the color is natural or treated, and ask for the answer in writing.
- For a stone that matters, ask for an independent lab report.
Designing with a colored stone? HeyGema lets you choose the stone shade and renders your design with it.