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Crystal Guide / All families

One species and color varieties

Beryl.

Aquamarine, emerald, morganite, heliodor, goshenite and red beryl are beryl varieties, rather than six independent beryl-group species.

Keep each chapter’s scientific identity: a family, species, variety, trade label, rock and fossil are different kinds of names.

aquamarine reference specimen from the Geoscience Digital Image Library

Aquamarine ↗

Mineral variety

Aquamarine is the blue-to-greenish-blue variety of beryl. Some pieces are transparent enough for crisp facets; others are more included and show a softer color in beads or natural crystal specimens.

Darla Sondrol · CC0 · Display crop
Emerald reference object

Emerald ↗

Mineral variety

Emerald is green beryl, a relative of aquamarine. Its internal features can be just as memorable as the green color, making a slow look through a gem especially rewarding.

Géry PARENT · CC0 · Display crop
Goshenite reference specimen

Goshenite ↗

Mineral variety

Goshenite is colorless beryl. It offers a useful comparison with clear quartz: similar transparency does not mean identical chemistry or structure.

Géry PARENT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop
Red beryl reference specimen

Red beryl ↗

Mineral variety

Red beryl combines a strong red appearance with the chemistry of the beryl family. Collector crystals and suitable faceted material can look quite different.

Robert M. Lavinsky · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Display crop