beryl , morganite , heliodor
| Mineral information | Beryl |
| Chemical composition | Be3AlSiO6 |
| _ The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom |
Help | Pictures |
| Color | Green, blue, blue-green, yellow, pink, purple, red, brown, colorless, and white |
| Hardness | 7½ - 8 |
| SG | 2.6 - 2.8 |
| RI | 1.576 - 1.582 |
| DR | .006 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
Beryl occurs in a variety of colors. All transparent varieties are used as gemstones. Pure beryl is colorless; traces of different impurities are responsible for the great color range in this gemstone. Each color variety has a distinct name:
| Emerald, the green variety, is the most popular green gemstone and is one of the most valuable of gems. A separate page is devoted to this variety. (emerald) | |
| Aquamarine, a light blue to blue-green variety, also has its own page. (aquamarine) | |
| Morganite, the pink to purple variety, is usually only lightly tinted. The color of pale stones can be intensified by heat-treatment. Morganite is sometimes also called "pink beryl". | |
| Heliodor is the variety including all yellow, yellow-green, orange, and brown beryls. | |
| Golden beryl, sometimes also called "heliodorite", is a variety of heliodor with a golden yellow color. The terms heliodor and golden beryl are often confused with each other, and some dealers and references incorrectly mix up heliodor and golden beryl. | |
| Goshenite, the colorless variety of beryl, is often used as a replacement for more valuable colorless gems. Goshenite may also be coated with a green foil to resemble emerald, as its physical properties are identical to emerald. | |
| Peach beryl, also known as "champagne beryl", is a variety of morganite with an orange-pink color. | |
| Green beryl, the light green variety of beryl, should not be mistaken for emerald, which occurs in a much darker green. Green beryl is usually heat-treated to form deeply colored aquamarines. | |
| Bixbite is a strawberry-red variety of morganite, with a brownish hue. | |
| Red beryl is a rare, deep red variety found in only one place in the world. | |
| Blue beryl is a dark blue variety, synthetically colored by irradiating light blue aquamarine. |
Most of these variety names are universally used, but some, such as bixbite and blue beryl are not well-known. Gem beryls other than emerald and aquamarine may also be called "precious beryl". Internal flaws in beryl gems can be masked by treating the stone with oil. Unscrupulous dealers will often apply this treatment to a stone without informing the buyer.
USES
All
the varieties are faceted into various gem cuts, and some
stones display asterism and cat's eye effect when cut and polished into cabochons. Ornamental figures are sometimes carved
from massive chunks of transparent beryl, usually from
morganite and heliodor. Perfect, transparent, six-sided
crystals are occasionally worn as necklace pendants in an uncut state.
SIMILAR
GEMSTONES
Morganite closely
resembles rose quartz, and golden beryl may appear
similar to chrysoberyl, and topaz. Heliodor may be confused with
many gemstones, especially topaz, chrysoberyl, citrine, and zircon. Goshenite resembles other
colorless gemstones, particularly diamond, colorless sapphire, colorless spinel, and rock crystal. Peach beryl has
the same appearance as padparadschah (sapphire), some spinels, and some topaz. Green beryl may resemble hiddenite, light green garnet, and light green zircon. Bixbite will have the same color
as some topaz and spinel. Red beryl has a distinct red color, darker
than ruby
or ruby spinel. And finally, blue beryl resembles
sapphire and tanzanite.
ALSO SEE
Special thanks to Gem Hut for most of our gem images. The gems displayed or others like them can be purchased through GemHut by clicking the link below each picture.
Picture: Purplish
Morganite
Cut: Trillion
Size: 19.33 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Pink
Morganite
Cut: Pear
Size: 1.33 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Golden Beryl
(Heliodor)
Cut: Oval
Size: 2.20 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Yellow-brown
Heliodor
Cut: Oval
Size: 4.77 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture:
Yellow-orange Heliodor
Cut: Oval
Size: 6.52 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Colorless
Goshenite
Cut: Oval
Size: 4.70 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Peach Beryl
(Morganite)
Cut: Fancy (arrowpoint)
Size: 11.39 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Green Beryl
Cut: Oval
Size: 2.36 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Red Beryl
Cut: Round
Size: .08 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
Picture: Blue Beryl
Cut: Cushion
Size: 2.89 ct.
Collection: Gem Hut
