Beryl - The Mother of all Gemstones

Beryl is the common name given to a group of gems having a similar chemical composition. The name seems to have derived from the ancient Greek word 'beryllos' which means 'precious blue green color'. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Scale and has a hexagonal crystal system. Beryl is found in many places including Colombia, Africa, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan and California. Other than Jewelry Gemstones Beryl is also the main source of Beryllium which is combined with copper to make high quality resistant wires. It is also used in nuclear reactors, space shuttles. Beryllium Alloys have also been used in disc brakes and windshields for vehicles. Beryl is often referred to as the mother of all gemstones. Beryl in its purest form is colorless. However, impurities in beryl gives it many colors. There are six well known types of beryl. The six different types or varieties of beryl include aquamarine, bixbite, emerald, goshenite, heliodor and morganite. Beryl jewelry can be cleaned using warm soapy water and then thoroughly rinsed. Though Beryl does not scratch or damage easily It is not advisable to clean beryl stones in ultrasonic cleaners.

Aquamarine is a light bluish green form of beryl. The name of this stone is derived from the Latin word 'Aqua" which means water and 'mare' which means sea.The color of this stone is as a result of the iron content in the stone. 

Bixbite is the red form of beryl. It is an extremely rare gemstone and Utah is the only place where bixite can be found. This stone is named after Maynard Bixby who discovered this stone in the year 1904. The red color of this stone is as a result of the manganese content in the stone.

Emerald is the most famous of all beryls and is green in color. The name of this stone is derived from the Greek word ' smargus' which means green gemstone.The green color of this stone is because of the chromium and iron content in the stone.

Goshenite is a form of beryl that does not have any color. This stone is named after 'Goshen' in the US, the place where it was found first.

Heliodor is known as the yellow from of beryl. This stone name is derived from the Greek words 'helios' and 'doros' which means gift from the Sun.The yellow color is due to the iron content in the stone.

Morganite is known as the pink form of beryl. The color of the stone is due to manganese and iron content in stone. Morganite got its name from the American Banker J.P. Morgan.