Mineralpedia Details for Beryl

Named for the Greek beryllos, now meaning “beryl,” but previously used in reference to antiquated blue-green stones which may or may not have been Beryl. Beryl is a common mineral that occurs in granite, granite pegmatites, nepheline syenite, mafic metamorphic rocks, hydrothermal veins, and in vugs in rhyolite. Thousands of localities but fine specimens come from localities in Russia, Ukraine, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Brazil, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the United States. Minerals associated with Beryl include quartz, feldspar, muscovite, lepidolite, spodumene, amblygonite, tourmaline, topaz, cassiterite, columbite, and tantalite. Popular varieties of Beryl that are prized for gemstones are Emerald, Aquamarine, and Morganite.

Ref. Handbook of Mineralogy, Anthony et al (1995) and MSA at http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/beryl.pdf

Formula

Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ 

Crystal System

Hexagonal 

Crystal Habit

Crystalline - Coarse, Prismatic, Columnar 

Cleavage

Imperfect, None, None 

Luster

Vitreous - Resinous 

Color

green, blue, yellow, colorless, pink 

Streak

white 

Class

Hexagonal - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal 

Fracture

Brittle - Conchoidal 

Hardness

7.5-8 

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Aquamarine specimen with several gemmy parallel crystals all nicely terminated with a bit of Albite matrix at the base.

A small 3.3cm, light colored, gemmy crystal nested perfectly at the center of an Albite crystal with an attached Quartz crystal. There are several smaller crystals about matrix.

Beryl and Columbite in combination with Albite. The two Aquamarines are both about 1.7cm and are perfectly gemmy with a simple pinacoidal termination. The Columbite is a crude, 1.5cm tabular crystal.

An Aquamarine Beryl crystal to 6.5 cm along a plate of white Albite matrix. Associated with Schorl (black) Tourmaline.

A 5cm gemmy, terminated Aquamarine crystal attached to a partial Quartz crystal with a bit of Schorl and Albite.

Beryl and Muscovite. The large 4cm Aquamarine at the center is perfectly clear, gemmy and is nicely terminated with several beveled faces.

Crystallized Muscovite at the base and attached Quartz and a large 3x2cm fully terminated Aquamarine crytstal.

Large pink Morganite Beryl with Albite, terminated at both ends. The crystal is 6cm long and 5cm across the terminated face. Unique to this piece is that the Morganite is actually a green Aquamarine at the center.

Solid green, opaque, not gem quality, hexagonal crystals to 2cm in matrix.

Gemmy light pink Beryl crystals variety morganite in Albite matrix. There are two tabular crystals, the largest is 4.5 x 3.5cm with frosted terminations and perfectly clear prism faces. Beryl does not usually form tabular crystals. This is a good example of morganite Beryl and would make a fine display specimen. Morganite is probably the rarest of Beryl varieties.

Special Info

Gem Quality

A deep aquamarine , gemmy and terminated crystal.

Two large Beryl aquamarines one measuring 5cm and the other 3.5cm. It is obviously repaired. It would have been impossible to have broken this specimen from the Quartz matrix without the Beryl coming loose.

REd 3-4mm crystals showing many faces with good color.

beryl, variety emerald prismatic crystals to1.5cm in the matrix.

A very good thumbnail size terminated Beryl from the Chris van Laer collection.

Special Info

Chris van Laer collection

Gemmy, etched, terminated Beryl aquamarine crystal with nice blue color.

A fabulous, first class, thumbnail collected by Geary Murdock and purchased by Chris van Laer in 1984. The aquamarine is complexly terminated and is 1.2mm on Albite matrix. Excellent specimen showing a rich blue color.

Light aquamarine, prismatic crystal to 3cm with complex termination.

A very nice group of five light green Beryl crystals the longest to 2.2cm. All terminated, a few smaller aside for the five largest.

Dark blue naturally corroded Beryl crystal. 

A single blue terminated crystal.

An old-timer collected by Hampson in 1945 with good faint pink color and 4 crystal faces. The core of the Beryl is  a light green color.

An unusual specimen of Beryl with a tabular zone of light pink, "morganite" and a majority of the rest of the matrix being light yellow "heliodor". None of it is gemmy, only a translucent, sugary texture. Minor Quartz and Albite. Collected by Hampson in 1943.

Showy, gemmy aquamarine crystal with a good termination showing beveled edges. It is naturally incomplete on one side.

Deep blue aquamarine crystal section. Some good prism faces both no terminations. 

Aquamarine Beryl capping Microcline. The largest Beryl is about 6mm. Some are included with Tourmaline.

An excellent aquamarine Beryl crystal, terminated, with good color and a little Quartz by its side.

Large light green, terminated crystal to 6cm exposed in white Albite matrix with garnets.

Special Info

Illustrated in London's book "Pegmatites"

Color zoned Beryl from light green at the center to light yellow along the rim. Associated with Albite. Illustrated on page 80, Fig. 4-20g.

A portion a light pink beryl crystal in Quartz and Albite matrix.

Large impressive specimen of light pink Beryl, variety morganite. 

Berylium averages about 3ppm in the Earth's crust. But in pegmatites it is relatively common in lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. It is one of the first to crystallize and can be found in just about any zome in zoned pegmatites.