BERYL

BERYL is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminum silicate.

It is also known for its gemstone varieties, including aquamarine (pale blue-green), emerald (deep green), heliodor (golden yellow), and morganite (pink), although, chemically pure beryl is colorless, but trace elements can give it other colors. These crystals can grow to be several meters in size, but terminated crystals are rare. Some beryls can also exhibit asterism, which is a star-shaped pattern of reflections, or chatoyancy, which is a “cat’s-eye” effect seen in reflected light.

Beryl is also mentioned in the Bible. A precious stone of sea-green color, it was one of the twelve stones on the high priest’s breastplate (Exod 28:20), one of the jewels worn by the king of Tyre (Ezek 28:13), and the eighth foundation of the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem.

The prices can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on if it is 1/5th of a carat or a full carat. This rare gemstone will never grow more than a few carats naturally due to the rarity of the coloring element manganese.

Carat weight aside, this gemstone is an excellent candidate for jewelry.

Like any other gemstone, red beryl is evaluated according to the 4Cs of color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.

Color – Much like emeralds, it is intensely colored.
Clarity – It is almost never eye-clean.
Cut – These gems can be brittle, and often receive the titular emerald cut like their green cousins. With modern cutting equipment, cuts like ovals and cushions are made.
Carat – The low carat weight is already a given.

USES

Beryl is a commercial source of beryllium, which has many uses in nuclear reactors, space vehicles, electronics, and X-ray tubes.

MOHS HARDNESS

7.5 to 8

LUSTER

Vitreous to resinous. Streak, White. Diaphaneity, Transparent to translucent.

CHEMICAL COMPOUND

Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈

WHERE TO FIND

It’s often found in granites, pegmatites, metamorphic rocks, and veins and cavities in limestones and marbles. Some notable locations include:
Africa: Emerald and other types
Brazil: Aquamarine and other types
Columbia: Emerald
Pakistan: Aquamarine
Russia: Aquamarine
United States: California, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, including red beryl in the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah

Red beryl only comes from a few select mines around Utah in the United States. There are no other locations in the world that produce the ruby red color in this mineral species.

DIAGNOSTIC PROPERTIES

There are many diagnostic properties, including:
Color: Pure beryl is colorless, but impurities can tint it many colors, including green, blue, yellow, red, and white. The color is caused by inclusions and trace elements.
Hardness: It has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale.
Fracture: It has a conchoidal fracture.
Cleavage: It has poor basal cleavage.
Luster: It has a vitreous to resinous luster.
Diaphaneity: It can be transparent or translucent.
Specific gravity: It’s specific gravity ranges from 2.63–2.92 g/cm3, depending on its chemical composition.
Optical properties: It has a refractive index of nω = 1.564–1.595 and nε = 1.568–1.602, and a birefringence of δ = 0.0040–0.0070. It also has weak to distinct pleochroism and no ultraviolet fluorescence.