By
Ashley Bailey, Monday, August 07, 2006 12:00 AM
In 1900, banker J. P. Morgan donated a 16,000-piece gem and mineral collection to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Can you guess the Morgan who was honored 11 years later with the gem name "morganite"?
It’s the least the gem world could do for one of the greatest gem enthusiasts who ever lived. Actually, the financier had been in line for such a tribute when fabulous pink spodumene was discovered near San Diego, California, in 1901. Instead, the stone was named kunzite after gemologist and Tiffany’s gem buyer George Frederick Kunz, who personally helped build Morgan’s collection. But Kunz made it clear that Morgan would have a gem named after him as soon as a new one as beautiful as kunzite was found.
In 1911, miners discovered a pink beryl with hues that rivaled kunzite on the island of Madagascar, just off the east coast of Africa across from Mozambique. Kunz used his considerable clout to get the newcomer named morganite after Morgan.
It was worth the wait. African morganites were magnificent.
Sadly, Madagascar long ago ran dry as a producer of pink beryl. Today the world relies on Brazil for generally pale morganites that run a color gamut from soft peach to light rose.
In recent years, there have been controversial attempts to rename morganite as "pink emerald." So far, the name has failed to take hold - and for good reason. The word emerald is taken from the Greek "smardagos," meaning green. Nevertheless, some marketers persist in using the trade name "pink emerald." We say, Stick with morganite. October - Birthstone (libra).
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