Beryl#Aquamarine and maxixe

{{short description|Gemstone: beryllium aluminium silicate}}

{{About||the given name|Beryl (given name)|other uses|Beryl (disambiguation)}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2018}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}

{{Infobox mineral

| boxbgcolor = #91d1d1

| name = Beryl

| category = Cyclosilicate

| image = Beryl09.jpg

| imagesize = 260px

| alt =

| caption = Three varieties of beryl (left to right): morganite, aquamarine and emerald

| formula = {{chem2|Be3Al2Si6O18}}

| IMAsymbol=Brl{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}

| molweight = 537.50 g/mol

| strunz = 9.CJ.05

| system = Hexagonal

| class = Dihexagonal dipyramidal (6/mmm)
H-M symbol: (6/m 2/m 2/m)

| symmetry = P6/mcc

| unit cell = a = 9.21 Å, c = 9.19 Å; Z = 2

| color = Green, blue, yellow, colorless, pink, and others

| habit = Prismatic to tabular crystals; radial, columnar; granular to compact massive

| twinning = Rare

| cleavage = Imperfect on {0001}

| fracture = Conchoidal to irregular

| tenacity = Brittle

| mohs = 7.5–8.0

| luster = Vitreous to resinous

| polish =

| opticalprop = Uniaxial (−)

| refractive = nω = 1.564–1.595
nε = 1.568–1.602

| birefringence = δ = 0.0040–0.0070

| dispersion =

| pleochroism = Weak to distinct

| fluorescence= None (some fracture-filling materials used to improve emerald's clarity do fluoresce, but the stone itself does not). Morganite has weak violet fluorescence.

| absorption =

| streak = White

| gravity = 2.63–2.92

| density =

| melt =

| fusibility =

| diagnostic =

| solubility =

| diaphaneity = Transparent to translucent

| other =

| references ={{cite web |url=http://www.mindat.org/min-819.html |title=Beryl |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026035730/http://www.mindat.org/min-819.html |archive-date=2007-10-26 |df=dmy-all |website=mindat.org}}{{cite web |url=http://www.webmineral.com/data/Beryl.shtml |title=Beryl Mineral Data |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512070647/http://webmineral.com/data/Beryl.shtml |archive-date=2008-05-12 |df=dmy-all |website=webmineral.org |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/beryl.pdf |title=Beryl |date=2001 |publisher=Mineral Data Publishing |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128222019/http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/beryl.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-28 |df=dmy-all}}{{cite book |last=Schumann |first=Walter |title=Gemstones of the World |year=2009 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Co. |isbn=978-1-402-76829-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V9PqVxpxeiEC |access-date=2018-05-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120224035/https://books.google.com/books?id=V9PqVxpxeiEC |archive-date=2017-11-20 |df=dmy-all}}{{rp|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=V9PqVxpxeiEC&pg=PA112 112]}}

}}

Beryl ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɛr|əl}} {{respell|BERR|əl}}) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18.{{cite web |url=https://www.minerals.net/mineral/beryl.aspx |title=Beryl |website=www.minerals.net |access-date=2018-07-12 |df=dmy-all}} Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several meters in size, but terminated crystals are relatively rare. Pure beryl is colorless, but it is frequently tinted by impurities; possible colors are green, blue, yellow, pink, and red (the rarest). It is an ore source of beryllium.{{cite book|last1=Klein|first1=Cornelis|title=The Manual of Mineral Science (after James D. Dana)|last2=Dutrow|first2=Barbara|last3=Dana|first3=James Dwight|date=2007|publisher=J. Wiley|isbn=978-0-471-72157-4|edition=23rd|location=Hoboken, N.J.|oclc=76798190|author-link2=Barbara Dutrow}}

File:Béryl.jpg

Etymology

The word beryl – {{langx|enm|beril}} – is borrowed, via {{langx|fro|beryl}} and {{langx|la|beryllus}}, from Ancient Greek βήρυλλος bḗryllos, which referred to various blue-green stones, from Prakrit veruḷiya, veḷuriya 'beryl'{{cite book |first1=Walter W. |last1=Skeat |year=1993 |title=The Concise Dictionary of English Etymology |publisher=Wordsworth Editions |isbn=978-1-85326-311-8 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aDhGlKL3h00C&pg=PA36}}{{efn|

Compare veruḷiya and veḷuriya to the pseudo-Sanskritization वैडूर्य vaiḍūrya, meaning either "cat's eye" (gem), generic "jewel", or "lapis lazuli" (gem). The folk etymology explains the gem name as meaning "[brought] from [the city of] Vidūra".

}}

which is ultimately of Dravidian origin, maybe from the name of Belur or Velur, a town in Karnataka, southern India.{{cite encyclopedia |title=beryl |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beryl |access-date=January 27, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009130722/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beryl |archive-date=October 9, 2013 |df=dmy-all}} The term was later adopted for the mineral beryl more exclusively.

When the first eyeglasses were constructed in 13th-century Italy, the lenses were made of beryl (or of rock crystal) as glass could not be made clear enough. Consequently, glasses were named Brille in German"Brille", in: Wolfgang Pfeifer et al., Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen (1993), digitalisierte und von Wolfgang Pfeifer überarbeitete Version im Digitalen Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache, , retrieved 9 August 2024. (bril in Dutch and briller in Danish).

Deposits

Beryl is a common mineral, and it is widely distributed in nature. It is found most commonly in granitic pegmatites, but also occurs in mica schists, such as those of the Ural Mountains, and in limestone in Colombia.{{cite book |last1=Klein |first1=Cornelis |last2=Hurlbut | first2=Cornelius S. Jr. |title=Manual of Mineralogy (after James D. Dana) |date=1993 |publisher=Wiley |location=New York |isbn=0-471-57452-X |edition=21st |page=472}} It is less common in ordinary granite and is only infrequently found in nepheline syenite. Beryl is often associated with tin and tungsten ore bodies formed as high-temperature hydrothermal veins. In granitic pegmatites, beryl is found in association with quartz, potassium feldspar, albite, muscovite, biotite, and tourmaline. Beryl is sometimes found in metasomatic contacts of igneous intrusions with gneiss, schist, or carbonate rocks.{{cite book |last1=Nesse |first1=William D. |title=Introduction to mineralogy |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-19-510691-6 |page=301}} Common beryl, mined as beryllium ore, is found in small deposits in many countries, but the main producers are Russia, Brazil, and the United States.

New England's pegmatites have produced some of the largest beryls found, including one massive crystal from the Bumpus Quarry in Albany, Maine with dimensions {{convert|5.5|by|1.2|m|ft|abbr=on}} with a mass of around {{convert|18|tonne|ST}}; it is New Hampshire's state mineral. {{As of|1999}}, the world's largest known naturally occurring crystal of any mineral is a crystal of beryl from Malakialina, Madagascar, {{convert|18|m|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|3.5|m|abbr=on}} in diameter, and weighing {{convert|380,000|kg|abbr=on}}.G. Cressey and I. F. Mercer, (1999) Crystals, London, Natural History Museum, page 58

Crystal habit and structure

File:Beryl Crystal Structure.png

Beryl belongs to the hexagonal crystal system. Normally beryl forms hexagonal columns but can also occur in massive habits. As a cyclosilicate beryl incorporates rings of silicate tetrahedra of {{chem2|Si6O18}} that are arranged in columns along the {{mvar|C}} axis and as parallel layers perpendicular to the {{mvar|C}} axis, forming channels along the {{mvar|C}} axis. These channels permit a variety of ions, neutral atoms, and molecules to be incorporated into the crystal thus disrupting the overall charge of the crystal permitting further substitutions in aluminium, silicon, and beryllium sites in the crystal structure. These impurities give rise to the variety of colors of beryl that can be found. Increasing alkali content within the silicate ring channels causes increases to the refractive indices and birefringence.{{cite book |title=An introduction to the rock-forming minerals |last1=Deer |first1=W.A. |last2=Howie |first2=R.A. |last3=Zussman |first3=J. |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-903-05627-4 |edition=Third |place=London, UK |oclc=858884283}}

Human health impact

{{Main|Acute beryllium poisoning|Berylliosis}}

Beryl is a beryllium compound that is a known carcinogen with acute toxic effects leading to pneumonitis when inhaled.{{cite web |title=Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 32, Beryllium and Beryllium compounds |url=http://www.inchem.org/documents/cicads/cicads/cicad32.htm | access-date=2019-07-16 |df=dmy-all}} Care must thus be used when mining, handling, and refining these gems.{{cite web |url=https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/3080.pdf |title=Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet: Beryl |date=April 2020 |publisher=New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=2023-08-04}}

Varieties

=Aquamarine and maxixe=

{{Main|Aquamarine (gem)}}

File:Beryl-209736.jpg

Aquamarine (from {{langx|la|aqua marina}}, "sea water"{{cite encyclopedia |title=aquamarine |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aquamarine |dictionary=Merriam-Webster |access-date=2017-02-05 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206103438/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aquamarine |archive-date=2017-02-06 |df=dmy-all}}) is a blue or cyan variety of beryl. It occurs at most localities which yield ordinary beryl. The gem-gravel placer deposits of Sri Lanka contain aquamarine. Green-yellow beryl, such as that occurring in Brazil, is sometimes called chrysolite aquamarine.{{cite journal |last=Owens |first=George |date=1957 |title=The Amateur Lapidary |journal=Rocks & Minerals |volume=32 |issue=9–10 |page=471 |doi=10.1080/00357529.1957.11766963|bibcode=1957RoMin..32..469O}} The deep blue version of aquamarine is called maxixe{{Cite book|last1=Grande|first1=Lance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RnE9Fa4pbn0C&q=aquamarine|title=Gems and Gemstones: Timeless Natural Beauty of the Mineral World|last2=Augustyn|first2=Allison|date=2009-11-15|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-30511-0|page=125}} (pronounced mah-she-she).{{cite web |first=John J. |last=Bradshaw |url=https://www.gemguide.com/maxixe-beryl/ |title= Maxixe Beryl |date=September 1, 2018 |website=Gemworld |access-date=2023-08-04}} Its color results from a radiation-induced color center.{{cite book |last=Watkins |first=M. |year=2002 |title=Rediscovering Colors: A Study in Pollyanna Realism |place=Netherlands |publisher=Springer |page=21 |isbn=978-1-4020-0737-8}}

File:Aquamarin cut.jpg

The pale blue color of aquamarine is attributed to Fe2+. Fe3+ ions produce golden-yellow color, and when both Fe2+ and Fe3+ are present, the color is a darker blue as in maxixe.{{cite journal |last1=Viana |first1=R.R. |last2=da Costa |first2=G.M. |last3=de Grave |first3=E. |last4=Stern |first4=W.B. |last5=Jordt-Evangelista |first5=H. |year=2002 |title=Characterization of beryl (aquamarine variety) by Mössbauer spectroscopy |journal=Physics and Chemistry of Minerals |volume=29 |issue=1 |page=78 |doi=10.1007/s002690100210 |bibcode=2002PCM....29...78V|s2cid=96286267}}{{cite journal |last1=Blak |first1=Ana Regina |last2=Isotani |first2=Sadao |last3=Watanabe |first3=Shigueo |year=1983 |title=Optical absorption and electron spin resonance in blue and green natural beryl: A reply |journal=Physics and Chemistry of Minerals |volume=9 |issue=6 |page=279 |doi=10.1007/BF00309581 |bibcode=1983PCM.....9..279B|s2cid=97353580}} Decoloration of maxixe by light or heat thus may be due to the charge transfer between Fe3+ and Fe2+.{{cite journal |last1=Andersson |first1=Lars Olov |title=Comments on Beryl Colors and on Other Observations Regarding Iron-containing Beryls |journal=The Canadian Mineralogist |date=15 July 2019 |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=551–566 |doi=10.3749/canmin.1900021|bibcode=2019CaMin..57..551A |s2cid=200066862}}

In the United States, aquamarines can be found at the summit of Mount Antero in the Sawatch Range in central Colorado, and in the New England and North Carolina pegmatites.{{cite book |last1=Sinkankas |first1=John |title=Mineralogy for amateurs. |date=1964 |publisher=Van Nostrand |location=Princeton, N.J. |isbn=0-442-27624-9 |pages=507–509}} Aquamarines are also present in the state of Wyoming, aquamarine has been discovered in the Big Horn Mountains, near Powder River Pass.{{cite journal |last1=Fritsch |first1=E. |last2=Shigley |first2=J.E. |year=1989 |title=Contribution to the identification of treated colored diamonds: diamonds with peculiar color-zoned pavilions |journal=The Quarterly Journal of the Gemological Institute of America |volume=25 |number=2 |pages=95–101|doi=10.5741/GEMS.25.2.95 |bibcode=1989GemG...25...95F }} Another location within the United States is the Sawtooth Range near Stanley, Idaho, although the minerals are within a wilderness area which prevents collecting.{{cite journal |last1=Kiilsgaard |first1=T.H. |last2=Freeman |first2=V.L. |last3=Coffman |first3=J.S. |title=Mineral resources of the Sawtooth Primitive Area, Idaho |journal=U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin |date=1970 |volume=1319-D |pages=D-108 |doi=10.3133/b1319D|doi-access=free|bibcode=1970usgs.rept....3K }} In Brazil, there are mines in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Bahia, and minorly in Rio Grande do Norte.{{cite book |last1=Cassedanne |first1=J. |last2=Philippo |first2=Simon |title=Minerals and Gem deposits of the eastern Brazilian pegmatites |date=2015 |publisher=Musée national d'histoire naturelle Luxembourg |pages=139–206 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313250718 |access-date=15 April 2022}} The mines of Colombia, Skardu Pakistan, Madagascar, Russia, Namibia,{{sfn|Klein|Hurlbut|1993|p=472}} Zambia,{{cite journal |last1=Carranza |first1=E. J. M. |last2=Woldai |first2=T. |last3=Chikambwe |first3=E. M. |title=Application of Data-Driven Evidential Belief Functions to Prospectivity Mapping for Aquamarine-Bearing Pegmatites, Lundazi District, Zambia |journal=Natural Resources Research |date=March 2005 |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=47–63 |doi=10.1007/s11053-005-4678-9|bibcode=2005NRR....14...47C |s2cid=129933245}} Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya{{cite book |last1=Yager |first1=T.R. |title=Minerals Yearbook |date=2007 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |pages=22.1, 27.1, 39.3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IiMtBJI6sG0C |access-date=15 April 2022}} also produce aquamarine.

= Emerald =

{{Main|Emerald}}

{{see also|Colombian emeralds}}

File:Béryl var. émeraude sur gangue (Muzo Mine Boyaca - Colombie) 15.jpg

Emerald is green beryl, colored by around 2% chromium and sometimes vanadium.{{cite web |url=http://minerals.caltech.edu/FILES/Visible/BERYL/Index.htm |title=Color in the beryl group |website=minerals.caltech.edu |access-date=2009-06-06 |department=Mineral Spectroscopy Server |publisher=California Institute of Technology |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822012424/http://minerals.caltech.edu/FILES/Visible/BERYL/Index.htm |archive-date=2011-08-22 |df=dmy-all}}{{cite book |last1=Hurlbut |first1=Cornelius S. Jr. |last2=Kammerling |first2=Robert C. |name-list-style=amp |year=1991 |title=Gemology |page=203 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |place=New York |isbn=978-0-471-42224-2}} Most emeralds are highly included, so their brittleness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor.{{cite web|title=Emerald Quality Factors|url=https://www.gia.edu/emerald-quality-factor|website=GIA.edu|publisher=Gemological Institute of America|access-date=1 November 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102090527/http://www.gia.edu/emerald-quality-factor|archive-date=November 2, 2016}}

The modern English word "emerald" comes via Middle English emeraude, imported from modern French via Old French ésmeraude and Medieval Latin {{Lang|la-x-medieval|esmaraldus}}, from Latin {{Lang|la|smaragdus}}, from Greek {{lang|grc|{{math|σμάραγδος}}}} smaragdos meaning 'green gem'.{{efn|

The Greek {{lang|grc|{{math|σμάραγδος}}}} (smaragdos) is used in the Semitic languages as אזמרגד, izmargad, as a loan-word meaning a precious emerald-colored stone. Greek smaragdos was used to translate the native Hebrew word {{lang|he|ברקת}}, bareket, for one of the twelve listed stones in the Hoshen pectoral pendant of the Kohen HaGadol. The word bareket is also used to mean "lightning flash". It may be related to Akkadian baraqtu, which means "emerald". In turn the semetic language words are possibly related to the Sanskrit word {{lang|sa|मरकत}} marakata, meaning "green".{{cite book | last = Fernie |first = W.T., M.D. |year = 1906 |title = Precious Stones for Curative Wear |publisher = John Wright. & Co.}}{{unreliable source?|date=October 2023|reason=The book was a pseudo-medical book on "magic" stones. The cited philologies seem dubious, and are certainly very dated. Considerably better editions of the Greek and Hebrew bible texts are now known, and in the past 120 years far many more ancient Semetic languages have been studied by competent linguists.}}

}}

File:Smaragd-G-EmpireTheWorldOfGems.jpg

Emeralds in antiquity were mined by the Egyptians and in what is now Austria, as well as Swat in contemporary Pakistan.{{cite journal |last1=Giuliani |first1=G. |last2=Chaussidon |first2=M. |last3=Schubnel |first3=H.J. |last4=Piat |first4=D.H. |last5=Rollion-Bard |first5=C. |last6=France-Lanord |first6=C. |last7=Giard |first7=D. |last8=de Narvaez |first8=D. |last9=Rondeau |first9=B. |year=2000 |title=Oxygen isotopes and emerald trade routes since antiquity |journal=Science |volume=287 |issue=5453 |pages=631–633 |pmid=10649992 |doi=10.1126/science.287.5453.631 |bibcode=2000Sci...287..631G}} A rare type of emerald known as a trapiche emerald is occasionally found in the mines of Colombia. A trapiche emerald exhibits a "star" pattern; it has raylike spokes of dark carbon impurities that give the emerald a six-pointed radial pattern. It is named for the trapiche, a grinding wheel used to process sugarcane in the region. Colombian emeralds are generally the most prized due to their transparency and fire. Some of the rarest emeralds come from the two main emerald belts in the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes: Muzo and Coscuez west of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, and Chivor and Somondoco to the east. Fine emeralds are also found in other countries, such as Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia. In the US, emeralds can be found in Hiddenite, North Carolina. In 1998, emeralds were discovered in Yukon.

Emerald is a rare and valuable gemstone and, as such, it has provided the incentive for developing synthetic emeralds. Both hydrothermal{{cite journal |author=Hosaka, M. |year=1991 |title=Hydrothermal growth of gem stones and their characterization |journal=Progress in Crystal Growth and Characterization of Materials |volume=21 |issue=1–4 |page=71 |doi=10.1016/0960-8974(91)90008-Z|bibcode=1991PCGCM..21...71H }} and flux-growth synthetics have been produced. The first commercially successful emerald synthesis process was that of Carroll Chatham.{{cite web |url=http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Carroll_Chatham |title=Carroll Chatham |publisher=The Gemology Project |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910055802/http://gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Carroll_Chatham |archive-date=2011-09-10 |df=dmy-all}} The other large producer of flux emeralds was Pierre Gilson Sr., which has been on the market since 1964. Gilson's emeralds are usually grown on natural colorless beryl seeds which become coated on both sides. Growth occurs at the rate of {{convert|1|mm|in}} per month, a typical seven-month growth run producing emerald crystals of 7 mm of thickness.{{cite book |last=Nassau |first=K. |date=1980 |title=Gems Made by Man |publisher=Gemological Institute of America |isbn=978-0-873-11016-7}} The green color of emeralds is widely attributed to presence of Cr3+ ions.{{cite journal |last1=Ibragimova |first1=E.M.|last2=Mukhamedshina |first2=N.M. |last3=Islamov |first3=A.Kh.|year=2009 |title=Correlations between admixtures and color centers created upon irradiation of natural beryl crystals |journal=Inorganic Materials |volume=45 |issue=2 |page=162 |doi=10.1134/S0020168509020101|s2cid=96344887}} Intensely green beryls from Brazil, Zimbabwe and elsewhere in which the color is attributed to vanadium have also been sold and certified as emeralds.{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Arthur |year=2008 |title=Gemstones: Properties, Identification and Use |location=London |publisher=New Holland |pages=77–78 |isbn=978-1-845-37602-4}}{{cite book |last1=Behmenburg |first1=Christa |last2=Conklin |first2=Lawrence |last3=Giuliani |first3=Gaston |last4=Glas |first4=Maximilian |last5=Gray |first5=Patricia |last6=Gray |first6=Michael |editor1-last=Giuliani |editor1-first=Gaston |editor2-last=Jarnot |editor2-first=Miranda |editor3-last=Neumeier |editor3-first=Gunther |editor4-last=Ottaway |editor4-first=Terri |editor5-last=Sinkankas |editor5-first=John |date=January 2002 |title=Emeralds of the World |series=ExtraLapis |volume=2 |place=East Hampton, CT |publisher=Lapis International |pages=75–77 |isbn=978-0-971-53711-8}}{{cite book |last1=Deer |first1=W.A. |last2=Zussman |first2=J. |last3=Howie |first3=R.A. |year=1997 |title=Disilicates and Ring Silicates |series=Rock-forming Minerals |volume=1B | edition=2 |location=Bath |publisher=Geological Society of London |pages=393–394 |isbn=978-1-897-79989-5}}

=Golden beryl and heliodor=

{{Redirect|Heliodor|the given name|Heliodorus|similar uses|Heliodora (disambiguation)}}

File:Heliodor-G-EmpireTheWorldOfGems.jpg

Golden beryl can range in colors from pale yellow to a brilliant gold. Unlike emerald, golden beryl generally has very few flaws. The term "golden beryl" is sometimes synonymous with heliodor (from Greek hēlios – ἥλιος "sun" + dōron – δῶρον "gift") but golden beryl refers to pure yellow or golden yellow shades, while heliodor refers to the greenish-yellow shades.{{Citation needed|reason=Who makes this distinction?|date=December 2024}} The golden yellow color is attributed to Fe3+ ions. Both golden beryl and heliodor are used as gems. Probably the largest cut golden beryl is the flawless {{convert|2054|carat|adj=on|lk=in}} stone on display in the Hall of Gems, Washington, D.C., United States.{{cite book |last=Thomas |first=Arthur |year=2007 |title=Gemstones |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MPZK8ILOSR0C&pg=PA77 |via=Google Books |publisher=New Holland Publishers |isbn=978-1-845-37602-4}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

{{clear}}

=Goshenite=

{{Main|Goshenite (gem)}}

File:Goshénite.jpg

File:Goshenit-G-EmpireTheWorldOfGems.jpg

Colorless beryl is called goshenite. The name originates from Goshen, Massachusetts, where it was originally discovered. In the past, goshenite was used for manufacturing eyeglasses and lenses owing to its transparency. Nowadays, it is most commonly used for gemstone purposes.{{cite web |url=http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/goshenit/goshenit.htm |title=Goshenite, the colorless variety of beryl |access-date=2009-06-06 |df=dmy-all |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630132542/http://www.galleries.com/minerals/gemstone/goshenit/goshenit.htm |archive-date=2009-06-30 |publisher=Amethyst Galleries}}{{cite web |url=http://opticalmineralogy.com/the-silicates-mineral-class/goshenite-gem/ |title=Goshenite Gem |date=March 2, 2009 |website=Optical Mineralogy.com |access-date=2009-06-06 |df=dmy-all |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709230558/http://opticalmineralogy.com/the-silicates-mineral-class/goshenite-gem/ |archive-date=2009-07-09}}

The gem value of goshenite is relatively low. However, goshenite can be colored yellow, green, pink, blue and in intermediate colors by irradiating it with high-energy particles. The resulting color depends on the content of Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Fe, and Co impurities.

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=Morganite=

{{Main|Morganite (gem)}}

File:Beryl-Quartz-morganite brazil1.jpg

File:Morganit-G-EmpireTheWorldOfGems.jpg

Morganite, also known as "pink beryl", "rose beryl", "pink emerald" (which is not a legal term according to the new Federal Trade Commission Guidelines and Regulations), and "cesian (or caesian) beryl", is a rare light pink to rose-colored gem-quality variety of beryl. Orange/yellow varieties of morganite can also be found, and color banding is common. It can be routinely heat treated to remove patches of yellow and is occasionally treated by irradiation to improve its color. The pink color of morganite is attributed to Mn2+ ions.

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=Red beryl=

{{Main|Red beryl}}

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Red variety of beryl (the "bixbite") was first described in 1904 for an occurrence, its type locality, at Maynard's Claim (Pismire Knolls), Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah.{{cite web |url=http://www.mindat.org/min-690.html |title=Red Beryl |website=www.mindat.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010036/http://www.mindat.org/min-690.html |archive-date=2013-12-03 |df=dmy-all}} The dark red color is attributed to Mn3+ ions. Old synonym "bixbite" is deprecated from the CIBJO because of the possibility of confusion with the mineral bixbyite (both named after mineralogist Maynard Bixby).{{Cite web |url=http://www.minerals.net/mineral/beryl.aspx |title=The Mineral Beryl |website=Minerals.net |access-date=2017-08-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828185252/http://www.minerals.net/mineral/beryl.aspx |archive-date=2017-08-28 |df=dmy-all}} Red "bixbite" beryl formerly was marketed as "red" or "scarlet emerald", but these terms involving "Emerald" terminology are now prohibited in the US.{{CodeFedReg|16|23|26}}

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Red beryl is very rare and has only been reported from a handful of North American locations: Wah Wah Mountains, Beaver County, Utah; Paramount Canyon, Round Mountain, Juab County, Utah; and Sierra County, New Mexico, although this locality does not often produce gem-grade stones. The bulk of gem-grade red beryl comes from the Ruby-Violet Claim in the Wah Wah Mts. of midwestern Utah, discovered in 1958 by Lamar Hodges, of Fillmore, Utah, while he was prospecting for uranium.{{cite web |title=Red Emerald History |url=http://www.redemerald.com/history.html |website=RedEmerald.com |access-date=2007-11-21 |df=dmy-all |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203052138/http://www.redemerald.com/history.html |archive-date=2007-12-03}} Red beryl has been known to be confused with pezzottaite, a caesium analog of beryl, found in Madagascar and, more recently, Afghanistan; cut gems of the two varieties can be distinguished by their difference in refractive index, and the rough crystals easily by their differing crystal systems (pezzottaite trigonal, red beryl hexagonal). Synthetic red beryl is also produced.{{cite web |url=http://www.gemstoneslist.com/bixbite.html |title=Bixbite |website=The Gemstone List |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312090712/http://www.gemstoneslist.com/bixbite.html |archive-date=2016-03-12 |df=dmy-all}} Like emerald and unlike most other varieties of beryl, the red ones are usually highly included.

While gem beryls are ordinarily found in pegmatites and certain metamorphic stones, red beryl occurs in topaz-bearing rhyolites.{{Cite web |url=https://www.gemsociety.org/article/red-beryl-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/ |title=Red beryl value, price, and jewelry information |work=International Gem Society |access-date=2017-08-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828192834/https://www.gemsociety.org/article/red-beryl-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/ |archive-date=2017-08-28 |df=dmy-all}} It is formed by crystallizing under low pressure and high temperature from a pneumatolytic phase along fractures or within near-surface miarolitic cavities of the rhyolite. Associated minerals include bixbyite, quartz, orthoclase, topaz, spessartine, pseudobrookite and hematite.{{cite magazine |first=Carl |last=Ege |title=What gemstone is found in Utah that is rarer than diamond and more valuable than gold? |date=September 2002 |magazine=Survey Notes |volume=34 |issue=3 |url=http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/gladasked/gladberyl.htm |access-date=2011-07-02 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108170752/http://www.geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/gladasked/gladberyl.htm |archive-date=2010-11-08 |df=dmy-all}}

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See also

{{Portal|Minerals}}

Footnotes

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References

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Further reading

  • {{cite book |last1=Sinkankas |first1=John |date=1994 |title=Emerald & Other Beryls |publisher=Geoscience Press |isbn=978-0-801-97114-3}}