How is lab grown morganite produced? 

Lab created morganite has a similar production process as all lab created gemstones.  This is called the hydrothermal method.  The development of the stone requires heat and pressure that imitates the conditions deep in the earth that result in the formation of natural morganite. The technology involves nutrients are dissolved into water and once the water cools, synthetic crystals begin to form, creating the stone. 

Lab Created Morganite created through the hydrothermal method are in essence genuine morganite stones. This is because they will possess the same chemical and physical composition as genuine stones but they are sold at fraction of price of natural Morganite. They also appear brighter and more vivid than natural Morganite stones.

How is morganite (natural or lab created) graded?

Morganite stones, whether created in a lab or naturally mined, have a grading system similar to other precious gemstones.  Morganite's strongest feature is its color.  In fact the color of the morganite stone is the most important factor. Morganite comes in numerous shades of pink also blend with orange that can lead to more peachy-pink colorings. A darker shade of pink is going to be more valuable than a lighter shade.  Morganite stones with deeper color hues are rare and therefore much more valuable. 

One grading system developed by GIA that’s used for colored gems divides various types of colored stones into three categories (Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3). Type 1 includes stone types that rarely have visible inclusions (imperfections that are visible without magnification). Type 2 are more included stones. Type 3 have even more easily visible inclusions. 

Morganite is a ‘Type 1’ gem, meaning that they’re generally clear stones that don’t have inclusions that can be observed with the naked eye (without magnification). If a Type 1 stone has a visible inclusion, it typically won’t be used for jewelry unless the setting sufficiently covers the inclusion, so it’s no longer visible.