General Information:
Chemical Formula:
Be3Al2Si6O18
Composition:
(Molecular Weight = 537.50 gm)
Beryllium 5.03 % Be
Aluminum 10.04 % Al
Silicon 31.35 % Si
Oxygen 53.58 % O
Empirical Formula:
Be3Al2Si6O18
Environment:
Mainly granitic pegmatites.
Locality:
Pala pegmatite District, San Diego Co., California for morganite. Columbia for emeralds. Russia for heliodor.
Name Origin:
From the ancient Greek, beryllos, signifying a "precious blue-green color of sea water" stone, but through later usage, applied only to beryl.
Physical Properties:
Cleavage:
[0001] Imperfect
Color:
green, blue, yellow, colorless, or pink.
Density:
2.63 - 2.9, Average = 2.76
Diaphaniety:
Transparent to subtranslucent
Habits:
Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals., Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline)., Columnar - Forms columns
Hardness:
7.5-8
Luminescence:
Non-fluorescent.
Luster:
Vitreous - Resinous
Streak:
white
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