BERYL

The naturally occurring crystal called Beryl is an allochromatic gem in its pure form. This means that if there are no impurities while the crystal is growing, it will form as a clear colorless gem. In nature, however, there are almost always surrounding elements that intertwine into the crystal as it grows. These elemental impurities are usually responsible for giving a crystal a distinctive color. Beryl occurs in yellow, blue, green, pink, and occasionally red.

The two most known examples of colored beryl are given their own gem name. The blue variety of beryl is known as Aqua Marine in the jewelry world. This variety of beryl is a light to medium saturated stone that is either blue or bluish green. The coloring element for aquamarine is iron. The second well-known type of beryl is emerald. This is a dark Kelly green that is caused by either chromium or vanadium being present as the crystal grows. The darkness or saturation of the green is determined by how much of the element is concentrated into the crystal as it forms. Emerald is defined as being at least 70% saturated in its green, with 100% saturation being blackish green. If stones start to fade in the intensity below that emerald green threshold, they are renamed green beryl. Green beryl, for that reason, can run from a very light green to the apple green just below emerald. Green beryl can have secondary tones of yellow that can lean it into a beautiful chartreuse color.

However if blue is a secondary tone that is visually present, then the stone is categorized as an aquamarine. Another variety is yellow or golden beryl. This gem can run the color range from a pale sunshine yellow to a brilliant golden color. The stone is often referred to as Heliodor. This name comes from the Greek word for sun—Helio. It is also commonly referred to as golden or yellow beryl. The next color that is found in natural beryl is pink. This pink variety is usually a very soft baby pink and has a gem name of either pink beryl or morganite. The gemstone was discovered in 1910 on the coast of Madagascar. The prospecting adventure was funded by J.P. Morgan of New York City, so the discovery was named in his honor. This pink version of beryl owes its color to magnesium being present at the time of its birth. Morganite has since been discovered in California and Maine. The largest ever discovered pink beryl was discovered in Buckfield, Maine, in 1989. In recent years, some jewelry stores have started to market pink beryl (morganite) under the name “pink emerald.” This has been prohibited by the Federal Trade Commission as emerald is strictly defined as a green beryl variety with a very defined saturation level. The rarest form of beryl, rarer even than gem grade emerald, is the red variety commonly called bixbite or red beryl. This gem was first discovered in 1904 by Maynard Bixby in Utah. The dark, ruby red color of this gem is caused by an extremely high concentration of magnesium as the gem forms. This high concentration actually prohibits crystal growth and leads to highly included crystals. This red beryl is very expensive due to rarity and is usually only for collectors and museums.

HISTORY AND FOLKLORE

Beryl has been said to have the power to keep diamonds away. Golden beryls were often used through history to adorn crosses and religious artifacts. It is believed to prevent bad influencers from entering one’s life. It is also said to promote happiness, marital love, and cure laziness. It aids in maintaining a youthfulness in both mind and body.

WEARING & CARING

Beryl is 7.5-8 out of 10 on the Moh’s hardness scale making it a good choice for jewelry. It should not be exposed to direct blows or rapid temperature changes and wearing it daily is possible if proper care and attention are given to this gem.