Key properties
| Chemical formula | Be3Al2Si6O18 |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Mohs hardness | 7.5-8 |
| Toughness | Good (poor to fair in heavily fractured emerald) |
| Refractive index | 1.577-1.583 |
| Birefringence | 0.0050-0.0090 |
| Optic character | Uniaxial negative (-) |
| Dispersion | 0.0140 |
| Specific gravity | 2.67-2.90 |
| Cleavage | Indistinct in one direction (basal), very rarely seen |
| Fracture | Conchoidal to uneven, brittle |
| Habit | Long hexagonal prisms with flat basal terminations, striated parallel to the c-axis; alluvial pebbles common |
| Lustre | Vitreous to resinous; polish: Vitreous |
| UV fluorescence | Most varieties inert; emerald may glow weak orangy red (chromium-rich stones), morganite inert to weak pink or lilac; Maxixe-type deep blue beryl inert |
| Pleochroism | Weak to moderate dichroism in most varieties, strongest in emerald (green and bluish green) and morganite (light red and purple-red); colourless goshenite none |
| Cause of colour | Chromophores in the channels and lattice: chromium and/or vanadium (emerald green), iron (aquamarine blue, heliodor yellow), manganese (morganite pink, red beryl red), colour centres (Maxixe-type blue, fades) |
| Typical inclusions | Two- and three-phase fluid inclusions, jagged healed fractures (fingers), liquid feathers, parallel hollow tubes (chatoyant material), mineral crystals: mica, pyrite, calcite, tremolite or actinolite needles, chrysotile inclusions |
| Stability | Stable to light; attacked by hydrofluoric acid; emerald fractures can extend on impact |
| Heat sensitivity | Normal wear safe, but liquid inclusions can rupture with sudden heat — warn the bench |
| Care and cleaning | Warm soapy water safe for all; ultrasonic and steam risky for emerald and any heavily included stone, usually safe for clean aquamarine and morganite |
| Birthstones | Emerald: May; aquamarine: March |
| Availability | Aquamarine and morganite plentiful in all sizes; emerald plentiful but scarce in fine quality; red beryl extremely rare |
| Recognition | Emerald and aquamarine excellent; morganite good; goshenite, heliodor and red beryl known mainly to enthusiasts |
Varieties (8)
Aquamarine
| Colour | greenish blue to blue-green, light to medium tone |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type I; eye-clean expected |
| Phenomena | Rare weak chatoyancy from parallel tubes |
| Appearance | Light, watery sea-blue with high transparency and a clean, calm colour; larger stones show deeper tones |
| Trade names | Madagascar aquamarine (fine medium blue) • Santa Maria (intense blue from Brazil) • Brazilian aquamarine (historically also misused for blue topaz) |
| Misnomers | Brazilian aquamarine applied to irradiated blue topaz is a known trade abuse; true aquamarine is beryl |
| Typical sizes | 1 to 10 ct standard; 20 ct plus readily available; giants to 1000 ct exist |
| Cutting styles | Faceted in emerald cuts, ovals, cushions; also beads and carvings; deep pavilions deepen tone |
| Key separations | vs blue topaz: topaz RI 1.61-1.64 and SG 3.53 vs beryl 1.577-1.583 and 2.72; vs synthetic blue spinel: RI and SG; vs blue glass: single RI and bubbles; vs Maxixe beryl: Maxixe is unnaturally deep blue, shows reversed dichroism (darker along c-axis) and fades |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil (Minas Gerais) • Nigeria • Zambia • Madagascar • Mozambique • Pakistan (Kalat) • Russia • USA (Colorado, California) |
| Availability | Plentiful in all sizes; fine intense blue scarce |
| Market notes | Most aquamarine is heated from greenish rough to pure blue — stable and routine, but disclose; colour, not size, sets value |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water; ultrasonic safe for clean stones, avoid for included ones; no torch near liquid inclusions |
| In short | Aquamarine is the blue to sea-green variety of beryl coloured by iron. It is the March birthstone, famous for growing in large clean crystals ideal for statement cuts. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–5.00 | $40.00 – $250.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
| 5.00–15.00 | $100.00 – $600.00 | fine to top (Santa Maria colour) | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Emerald
| Colour | green to strongly bluish green |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type III; inclusions expected in all but the rarest stones |
| Phenomena | Rare chatoyancy and rarer asterism; trapiche form with six-rayed growth arms |
| Appearance | Velvety saturated green with internal garden of inclusions (jardin); the finest Colombian hue is a slightly bluish warm green that glows in daylight |
| Trade names | Colombian (fine trade grade) • Muzo and Chivor (mines) • trapiche (hexagonal spoke pattern) • Zambian (slightly greyish cast) • Sandawana (deep colour, small, Zimbabwe) • Brazilian (lighter tones) |
| Misnomers | Scientific emerald (synthetic) • oriental emerald (green sapphire) • Brazilian emerald sometimes used for green tourmaline or fluorite; Uralian or Siberian emerald (historic Russian stones) |
| Typical sizes | Melee to 5 ct common; over 10 ct fine stones rare and museum grade |
| Cutting styles | Step (emerald) cut developed to protect the brittle crystal; cabochons, carvings and beads for included material |
| Key separations | vs synthetic emerald: flux or hydrothermal inclusions, RI differences, red fluorescence patterns; vs green tourmaline: RI 1.62-1.64; vs tsavorite: SR, RI 1.74; vs chrome diopside: RI 1.67-1.70; vs dyed green quartz or glass: inclusions and RI; three-phase jagged inclusions with halite cube support Colombian natural origin |
| Sources (localities) | Colombia (Muzo, Chivor, Coscuez, La Pita) • Zambia (Kagem) • Brazil (Belmont, Nova Era) • Zimbabwe (Sandawana) • Afghanistan (Panjshir) • Pakistan (Swat) • Ethiopia (Kenticha) • Russia (Ural) |
| Availability | Plentiful overall; fine clean 3 ct plus stones scarce; Colombian top colour rare |
| Market notes | Clarity enhancement degree must be disclosed (none, minor, moderate, significant); origin reports (Colombia) add value; emerald is one of the big three coloured stones |
| Care notes | Never ultrasonic or steam; warm soapy water only, gently; avoid heat and solvents that strip oils; re-oil occasionally |
| In short | Emerald is the chromium or vanadium green of beryl, almost always clarity-enhanced and expected to carry its jardin. Colombia, Zambia and Brazil supply the market in that order of prestige. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.50–1.00 | $200.00 – $2500.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
| 1.00–3.00 | $800.00 – $10000.00 | fine | 2026-10-26 |
| 3.00–10.00 | $5000.00 – $60000.00 | fine to top Colombian | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Morganite
| Colour | pink |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type I; eye-clean expected |
| Phenomena | Rare chatoyancy |
| Appearance | Soft salmon and rose pastels with excellent transparency; larger stones hold more saturation |
| Trade names | rose beryl • pink emerald (marketing term, discouraged) • raspberry beryl (irradiated deep pink) |
| Misnomers | pink emerald is a misleading marketing term — emerald is by definition green |
| Typical sizes | 1 to 20 ct common; giant crystals yield 100 ct plus cuts |
| Cutting styles | Faceted ovals, cushions, emerald cuts; Portuguese brilliant cuts popular for depth of colour |
| Key separations | vs pink kunzite: kunzite RI 1.66-1.68 and strong pleochroism; vs pink topaz: RI and SG; vs rose quartz: SG 2.65 and often milky; vs pink tourmaline: RI 1.62-1.64 and stronger dichroism; morganite stays inert where irradiated kunzite can fade |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil (Minas Gerais) • Madagascar • Afghanistan (Nuristan) • Mozambique • USA (California, Maine) • Russia (Malgobi) |
| Availability | Good in larger sizes; strong demand for clean 5 ct plus |
| Market notes | Irradiated deeper pink (raspberry) material is stable and common; disclose. Prices moderate and rising with demand |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water; ultrasonic fine for clean stones |
| In short | Morganite is the peach-pink manganese variety of beryl, popular in large clean pastel cuts. Irradiation deepens the colour to raspberry pink. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–5.00 | $20.00 – $150.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
| 5.00–20.00 | $60.00 – $300.00 | fine to top | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Red Beryl (Bixbite)
| Colour | purplish to orangy red, medium-dark |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type II to III; most stones included |
| Phenomena | None typical |
| Appearance | Raspberry to strawberry red, usually small and included; colour saturation rivals fine ruby at small sizes |
| Trade names | red emerald (marketing term, discouraged) • bixbite (old name, after mineralogist Maynard Bixby, largely abandoned to avoid confusion with bixbyite) |
| Misnomers | red emerald — emerald is green by definition; some sellers misuse bixbite |
| Typical sizes | Under 1 ct typical; stones over 2 ct extremely rare |
| Cutting styles | Small faceted rounds and trillions to save weight; cabochons for included material |
| Key separations | vs ruby: RI 1.577-1.583 vs 1.762-1.770, ruby fluoresces; vs rubellite: RI and spectrum; vs red spinel: RI; vs pezzottaite: pezzottaite RI about 1.61 and cesium-rich |
| Sources (localities) | United States (Wah Wah Mountains, Utah — effectively the only gem source) • Mexico (minor) |
| Availability | Extremely scarce; one commercial locality |
| Market notes | Among the rarest of all facetable gems; collector stone with per-carat prices approaching fine ruby; almost always cut native to retain weight |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water; handle gently, usually included |
| In short | Red beryl is the intensely rare manganese-red beryl from Utah, faceted almost exclusively in small sizes. It is one of the rarest jewellery gemstones on earth. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.20–0.50 | $1500.00 – $6000.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
| 0.50–1.00 | $4000.00 – $15000.00 | fine | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Goshenite
| Colour | colourless |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type I |
| Phenomena | Rare chatoyancy |
| Appearance | Bright colourless beryl, lively but low dispersion; a natural substitute for diamond in melee |
| Trade names | colourless beryl • white beryl |
| Misnomers | goshenite was once sold as white emerald or mother of emerald — both improper |
| Typical sizes | 1 to 20 ct available |
| Cutting styles | Faceted brilliants, step cuts, beads |
| Key separations | vs colourless quartz: beryl RI 1.577-1.583 vs quartz 1.544-1.553, quartz biaxial figure; vs glass: bubbles; vs synthetic spinel: RI; vs topaz: RI and SG |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil • Madagascar • Afghanistan • USA (Goshen, Massachusetts, the type locality) • Russia |
| Availability | Available but niche; usually cut from pale rough of other varieties |
| Market notes | Inexpensive; often a by-product of mining paler beryl |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water, ultrasonic usually safe |
| In short | Goshenite is colourless beryl, the pure unchromophored member of the family, occasionally used as natural diamond melee. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–10.00 | $10.00 – $60.00 | commercial | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Heliodor (Golden Beryl)
| Colour | greenish yellow to orangy or brownish yellow |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type I |
| Phenomena | Rare chatoyancy |
| Appearance | Golden sunshine yellow to greenish gold, clean and bright; less orange than imperial topaz |
| Trade names | golden beryl • yellow beryl (heliodor from Greek helios, sun) |
| Misnomers | not to be confused with heliodor-coloured citrine or yellow scapolite |
| Typical sizes | 1 to 20 ct common; large clean crystals exist |
| Cutting styles | Faceted ovals, emerald cuts, cushions; carvings |
| Key separations | vs yellow sapphire: RI; vs citrine: RI 1.544-1.553; vs yellow topaz: RI and SG; vs yellow scapolite: optic character and birefringence; vs yellow tourmaline: RI and pleochroism strength |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil • Madagascar • Namibia (Erongo) • Ukraine (Volodarsk) • Afghanistan • USA |
| Availability | Moderate supply, modest demand |
| Market notes | Affordable yellow gem; large clean stones underused by designers |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water; ultrasonic usually safe |
| In short | Heliodor, or golden beryl, is the iron-yellow variety of beryl, offering large clean golden cuts at friendly prices. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–10.00 | $15.00 – $100.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Green Beryl
| Colour | light to medium yellowish green to green |
| Transparency | transparent |
| Clarity type | Type I |
| Phenomena | Rare chatoyancy |
| Appearance | Fresh spring green, lighter and clearer than emerald, without emerald's bluish velvet or heavy jardin |
| Trade names | green beryl (the honest name) |
| Misnomers | sold as emerald by the optimistic — green beryl is defined as too light, yellowish or desaturated for the emerald name |
| Typical sizes | 1 to 15 ct common |
| Cutting styles | Faceted ovals, emerald cuts; some carvings |
| Key separations | vs emerald: colour saturation and tone definitions, green beryl usually cleaner and cheaper; vs demantoid or tsavorite: RI and SR; vs green tourmaline: RI; vs peridot: RI 1.65-1.69 and doubling |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil • Madagascar • Afghanistan • Mozambique • Zambia |
| Availability | Regular supply |
| Market notes | Priced well under emerald; an honest alternative for clients wanting durable light green |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water, ultrasonic usually safe |
| In short | Green beryl is beryl whose green is too light or yellowish to earn the name emerald — an attractive, affordable and durable green gem in its own right. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–10.00 | $20.00 – $150.00 | commercial to fine | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Beryl (dark specimens)
| Colour | dark grey, brownish or near-black |
| Transparency | variable |
| Clarity type | n/a; ornamental |
| Phenomena | Some dark beryl shows chatoyancy when tubes align |
| Appearance | Semitransparent to opaque smoky-dark prismatic material, often carved or sliced; collectors value euhedral crystals |
| Trade names | black beryl (descriptive) |
| Misnomers | none standard |
| Typical sizes | Large pieces and whole crystals available |
| Cutting styles | Cabochons, beads, carvings, collector crystals |
| Key separations | vs smoky quartz: RI and optic character; vs schorl tourmaline: RI and striation (tourmaline striated across prism, beryl along); vs dark jade or serpentine: RI and crystal form |
| Sources (localities) | Brazil • Madagascar • Mozambique • USA |
| Availability | Occasional; collector and decorative use |
| Market notes | Low value per carat; sold by piece for specimens and carvings |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water |
| In short | Dark beryl covers opaque to semitransparent grey-black crystals used mostly as specimens, carvings and beads. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–100.00 | $1.00 – $15.00 | specimen or carving material | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Sources
GIA gem encyclopedia · mindat.org · Wikipedia
Data compiled and fact-checked against gemmological literature, October 2026 (JDMIS gem reference). Properties are ranges accepted in gemmological practice; individual stones vary.
See also
Gemstone reference entries: gem #14 · gem #15 · gem #48 · gem #76 · gem #77 · gem #115 · gem #168 · gem #206
Related materials: Corundum · Diamond · Opal · Quartz · Spinel · Topaz
Identification wizard · All 83 materials · Singapore gem labs