Beryl Facts

The mineral beryl is valuable in both industry and fashion. Its various forms are found everywhere from the aerospace industry to the rare gemstone market. Both beautiful and toxic, this mineral is as fascinating as its uses are diverse.

Physical Properties

Beryl is the mineral beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate. It forms hexagonal crystals and choncoidal fractures. Choncoidal fractures don't have clean, straight lines or break with any predictability. It is a hard stone with a rating on the Moh scale between 7 and 8. Pure beryl is colorless and is called goshenite.

Gemstone Varieties

While pure beryl is colorless, mineral impurities cause many color variations. The pink variety is called morganite. The red variety is rare, mined only in Utah, and is called bixbite or "red emerald." Bixbite gemstones are rarely found over a carat in weight. Yellow beryl is called golden beryl, while the yellow-green variety is called heliodor. A green beryl is an emerald, and blue beryl is aquamarine. Deep blue beryl is called maxixe.

Deposits

Beryl is mined from granite pegmatite all over the world. In the United States, deposits are found in California, Utah and all over New England. In South America, the most notable deposits are found in Columbia, and in Europe deposits are found in Norway, Ireland, Austria and Germany. They are also mined in South Africa and Zambia.

Beryllium

The chemical element beryllium is found in beryl and has many uses. It is used to harden alloys; beryllium copper is a typical example. Beryllium is strong, has a high melting point and doesn't expand much when heated. These properties account for its many aerospace applications like rocket nozzles and communication satellites. Because beryllium is nonmagnetic, the Navy uses it to disarm undersea mines that are triggered by magnetic contact. Beryllium is only limited by its toxicity. It has been classified as a Category 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Spirituality

Beryl's most common forms--emerald, aquamarine and morganite--are sought after for their spiritual properties. Spiritualists believe emerald increases fertility, strengthens the memory and promotes harmony, sensitivity and bliss. Aquamarine is said to enhance concentration, peace and courage. And spiritualists believe morganite facilitates emotional healing on a karmic level and even relieves pain caused in past lives.