Red beryl is an extremely rare mineral from the silicate group (cyclosilicate subgroup) and represents the rarest member of the beryl family Together with the emerald stone, the aquamarine stone and the morganite, they are part of the beryl group.
Your name comes from the Greek beryllos, which means “blue-green stone”, alluding to the aquamarine member of the family.
Initially it was called “bixbite”, named after Maynard Bixby, a miner and mineral dealer from Salt Lake City, Utah, who discovered the rock in 1905. However, the name is no longer used from confusion with the oxide mineral bixbite.
Why is it red?
The beryl stone in its pure state is colorless, but the diversity of impurities that exist in the mineral usually forms the characteristic colors. Red beryl is also popularly known as “scarlet emerald”, “red emerald ”.
Its color is due to small manganese impurities in the chemical composition that gives it a red and pink hue in a translucent matrix.
On this occasion, we will show you all the information you need about the red beryl mineral, including its formation, its physicochemical properties, their main locations and their uses.
Properties and characteristics of red beryl
The red beryl stone contains beryllium and aluminum silicate, with sodium, cesium and lithium in lesser percentage. Its chemical formula is Be3 Ai2 Si6 O18. Known colors are carmine red, currant red, and scarlet red. This mineral has a hexagonal crystal system, made up of large individual prismatic pieces.
Some well crystallized specimens have reached 8 meters in length. However, red beryl crystal can also be found in the form of short crystals and sometimes as plate and tabular crystals. The red beryl stone is transparent to opaque, its luster is vitreous or waxy, and hardness is 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale.
| red beryl | Physical and chemical properties |
|---|---|
| class, group | Silicates (beryllium aluminum cyclosilicate), beryl group |
| Brightness | Vitreous |
| Color | Red to transparent pink |
| Stripe | colorless or white |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Chemical formula | Be3Al2Si6O18 |
| Hardness | 7.5 to 8 |
| Specific weight or density | 2.6 to 2.7 g/cm3 |
| cleavage | imperfect or irregular |
| Fracture | conchoidal |
| crystalline system | Hexagonal |
| Way of introducing yourself (habit) | Prismatic, elongated prismatic |
| Applications | gemstones and fountain beryl |
Usually, the bases of the crystals are flat, while pyramidal endings are unusual. The mineral red beryl also found in columnar aggregates, and in massive and distorted engravings. The crystals may be striated.
Red beryl stone meaning
According to esoteric belief, the red beryl gemstone has the power to reunite the energy of the heart chakra with the energy of the base chakra. In this sense, it is believed that the stone can revitalize the mind and increase people’s self-esteem.
In addition, it is considered as the stone of confidence by believers in metaphysics, since the stone supposedly has the power to attract respect and unconditional love.
In this sense, it is said that this stone can reduce problems of emotional dependency and socialization, as well as help to release anxiety and “relax” thoughts.
It is important to clarify that these statements belong to different cultures. None of the aforementioned properties has been proven by research, so science does not consider them as valid.
Origin, formation and deposits of the mineral red beryl
The mineral red beryl can be found in large occurrences in granite pegmatites, as well as metamorphosed mica schists and igneous rhyolite deposits.
When miners find high-quality specimens, the pieces often command an outstanding premium. Regarding the deposits of this crystal, this rare mineral comes only from Utah (United States), specifically from the Wah Wah Mts and in Beaver.
The smallest crystals have appeared in the Thomas Range, a mountain range located in northern Juab County, west of the state.
Red beryl stone uses
The main use of red beryl is jewelry and as a collector’s item. The red gem is one of the most desirable and expensive stones in the world. The beauty of its crystals, which are close to the quality of a gem, they are jealously stored by collectors and are not usually faceted.
The price of red beryl is about 1,000 times that of gold by weight, and is often so scarce, that the Utah Geological Survey has stated that one gem-quality crystal is found for every 150,000 diamonds.