Bucherer_ColoredGemstones

BERYL
The sparkle of emeralds is an intense green, aquamarines twinkle in a wide range of blue
tones, while the delicate pink of the morganite enchants women the world over. But
how many people know that this wealth of beautiful stones belong to the same family of
gemstones? Emeralds, aquamarines and morganites are all beryls, just like the gold
beryl, the green, the red and the colorless beryl. Their chemical and physical properties
are essentially the same, but their colors could not be more different.
The name “beryl” originates from India. It derives from the Sanskrit “veruliyam”. In the
Middle Ages, the Latin word “berillus” was a generic term for all clear crystals, and was
also used to describe eyeglasses.
MINERAL GROUP COMPOSITION COLOR OCCURRENCE
Beryl
Hardness: 7.5 – 8.0
Aluminum beryllium silicate.
The color comes from the
trace elements vanadium,
iron or manganese
Gold-yellow,
yellow-green, yellow,
pink, red, colorless
Brazil, Madagascar,
Mozambique, Namibia,
Zimbabwe, Nigeria,
USA, Sri Lanka
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