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Morganite is a transparent pink jewel that ranges in
hue from a pale, almost imperceptible rose tint to a bright salmon
color. It may contain hints of peach, yellow, or violet, but this is
considered less desirable by jewelers. It sparkles brilliantly when
properly faceted. Morganite is aligned with
the elemental forces of air. As a result, in regions where
windstorms and tornadoes are common, the residents will sometimes
offer morganite in small shrines distant to homes and towns in order
to placate angry air elementals.
At the feet of the DragonSpine, some of the
scattered villages honor Celiel, a Great Air Elemental, with the
respect that others would give to an Arkati. Priests of Celiel wear
a small, faceted morganite disk on a silver chain to represent their
calling.
Seers say that morganite can be used to discern
harm or threat to children. In Mestanir, even some parents who do
not claim divinatory talents will wear a morganite pendant until
their child is fully grown. Tales circulate routinely about parents
who were warned by a strange sparkle from the stone in time to
rescue their child from danger.
Custom in the human barony of Oire associates
morganite with the goddess Oleani. Despite the simple nature of the
region, there is a large and marvelously ornate temple to Oleani in
the capital city of New Myssar, and its centerpiece is a low altar
carved from a single piece of glimmering morganite. According to
clerical records, the altar appeared one night in the middle of a
very simple shrine, and the temple grew to its current grandeur to
honor the miracle.
Morganite is the pink variety of
beryl,
the "mother of gemstones". Morganite is colored by trace amounts
of manganese that find their way into the crystal structure.
Morganite was named by the gemologist
George F. Kunz in honor of J. Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan, who financed
his expenditures on the study of gemstones. J.P. Morgan was a
famous American industrialist and mineral collector.
Morganite most often has a light,
silvery-pink color, but other pink forms are also familiar. Its most
desirable and valuable color is deep purplish-pink. Peach colored
Morganite is the next most desired.
Morganite is found in Brazil, Madagascar, and California, Maine,
Connecticut, and North Carolina in the U.S.
Intense colors are
hard to find and even light colors command high prices. Morganite is
commonly heat treated to remove yellow components thereby producing
a purer pink color. |
