Beryl and its subspecies
Beryl is a collective term for different colored types of gemstones that are similar in their chemical structure.
The most sought-after is the green variety, the emerald . Its name is derived from the Greek word smaragdos, which translates as "green stone." Green beryl is considered one of the most precious gemstones of all.
Aquamarine, the blue variety of beryl , is also very well-known and popular. Here, too, the name (water of the sea) refers to its color.
All other color variations are grouped under the general term noble beryl .
Edelberylle – the beryl and its variety of colors
If a beryl has a golden yellow or lemon yellow color, it is called golden beryl . In contrast to emeralds, where inclusions are the norm, these gemstones are characterized by their almost complete absence of impurities.
If the yellow is very light and also has a slight green tone, it is a heliodor (Greek: gift of the sun).
The colorless beryl was named goshenite after its location in Goshen, Massachusetts.
A morganite is a pink beryl, with the color palette ranging from a cool light violet to salmon and warm peach. It was named in honor of the banker and passionate collector of gemstones and art objects, John Pierpont Morgan (1816-1884).
There is also the rare gooseberry red to violet beryl. Previously known as bixbite, it is now mainly referred to as red beryl .
Beryl and its characteristics
The different colored types of beryl are all suitable for making jewelry, although emeralds, aquamarines and morganites are the most popular.
Beryls can be transparent or rather opaque – for these translucent variants a facet cut is best suited, for the opaque ones a cabochon cut .
What all beryl subspecies have in common is that they can form astonishingly large crystals; the largest known emerald, which is on display in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, weighs 16,300 carats.
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