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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

3 Beryls.  2 Red Beryls from Utah, sometimes called Bixbite in the jewelry community and a "sapphire colored" beryl from Pakistan.  I am not going to wade into the treacherous territory of what causes color in minerals so here is an article from a reliable source: Colors in Minerals - Eastern New Mexico University
What I do caution collectors is not to rely on color to determine the identity of minerals.  The beryls below are examples of unusual color for beryl and if one would use color only you might never come to the correct mineral identification.

Beryl is a wonderful mineral.  It comes in a wonderful variety of colors and is so loved historically many of the colors have their own varietal terms.
Greenish Blue and Blue Beryls are called Aquamarine.  I really think the blue beryls need their own name.
"chrome" Green Beryls are name Emerald.
Yellow beryls are called Heliodor.
Red Beryl as indicated above are sometimes called Bixbite.
Colorless beryls are call Goshenite
Pink to pinkish orange beryls are called Morganite.
Raspberry Colored beryls are called Pezzottaite

Read more about beryl:  Mineral Photos - Beryllium | Mineral Information Institute




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