Red Beryl – The Jewel of Utah
This webpage was created by Johnathon Geasler to
fulfill an assignment for a gemstone and gemology course
from Emporia State University - 2011
Faceted Red Beryl
Courtesy of
www.gemsociety.org
/info/gems/redberyl.
htm
Red Beryl, also referred to as red
emerald, is a member of the beryl
family. It shares this relation with its
notable relatives: Emerald and
Aquamarine. Red beryl, however, is
the rarest of its family and one of
the most expensive colored
gemstones available. This brief
report is to provide an introduction
to this most beautiful gemstone!
Red Beryl
Beryllium Aluminum Silicate
Be3Al2(SiO3)6
Specific Gravity: 2.66-2.7
Refractive Index: 1.564-1.574
Hardness: 7.5-8
Luster: vitreous
Crystal System:
hexagonal
6/m 2/m 2/m
Fracture:
Conchoidal
Red Beryl in white Rhyolite
Picture Courtesy of Mindat.org
The rare raspberry red
coloration of this beryl is
caused by the inclusion of
Cesium and Manganese
(Mn3+) and its unique
formation requirements.
Hexagonal beryl, http://www.soe.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/gset/Crystal.pdf
Red Beryl
Formation:
• Beryl typically forms in granite pegmatite, but red beryl
forms from a vapor phase reaction in the rhyolite magma,
forming in resultant cracks.
• This means a lower pressure, higher temperature
environment.
• Normally rhyolite lacks gem minerals
and beryl is even more uncommon. So
the presence of Red Beryl suggests
some unusual conditions for gemstone
formation.
Hexagonal beryl, http://www.klingereducational.com/crystal-models?Page=4&Items=12
Just the facts…
•Red Beryl was discovered by Maynard
Bixby in 1904 in the Thomas Range.
• Bixby believed it could be a new variety
of beryl and unofficially named it “bixbite”
• The name was dropped due to a previous
discovery of “bixbyite”
• Due to the highly unique formation
requirements, red beryl is found only in…
Beryl from the Ruby
Violet claims, Wah
Wah Mts, Beaver
Co., Utah. Photo:
Jeff Scovil. Courtesy
http://www.mindat.
org/loc-8327.html
– Black Range in New Mexico
–Thomas Range in Utah - not as gem quality
– Wah Wah Mountain Range in Utah –
“Ruby Violet Claim” located by Lamar Hodges while prospecting for
uranium in 1958.
Rare Red Beryl
•To give an example of the rarity, one red beryl crystal is found
for every 150,000 diamonds.
•To date, the largest crystal ever recovered was 14mm x 34mm
and weighed approximately 54 carats.
•The average faceted gemstone is .15 carats and the largest
faceted gemstone to date weighed 8.0 carats.
•Where can you see it? Museums
including the Salt Lake City Natural
History Museum – Hall of Gems!
http://nhmu.utah.edu/museum/exhi
bits/gems-and-minerals
Image taken from
http://nhmu.utah.edu/museum/exhibits/gems-andminerals
References and Links
• Beryl Information - http://www.mindat.org/min-819.html
• Gem Society on Red Beryl http://www.gemsociety.org/info/gems/redberyl.htm
• History of “Red Emerald” and Utah Claims http://www.redemerald.com/history.html
• Utah Geological Survey site on Red Beryl http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/gladasked/gladberyl.htm
• Minerals.net info on Beryl http://www.minerals.net/mineral/beryl.aspx
• Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT http://nhmu.utah.edu/museum/exhibits/gems-and-minerals