Glittering Stones » Semi Precious Stones » Chrysoberyl

Semi Precious Stone Chrysoberyl

The gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words chrysos and beryllos, meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite the similarity of their names, chrysoberyl and beryl are two completely different gemstones. Chrysoberyl is the fourth hardest natural gemstone lies between corundum and topaz on the Mohs hardness scale. Chrysoberyl is a mineral consisting of colorless or yellow transparent chrysoberyl, cymophane (chrysoberyl cat's eye), and alexandrite.

An interesting feature of its crystals is the cyclic twins called Trillings. These twinned crystals have a hexagonal appearance. There are three main varieties of chrysoberyl - ordinary yellow chrysoberyl, cat's eye or cymophane, and alexandrite. Although yellow chrysoberyl was referred to as chrysolite during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, the name was no longer used in the gemological nomenclature.

Ordinary chrysoberyl is a yellowish-green, transparent to translucent chrysoberyl and often referred to in the literature as chrysolite due to the common olive color of many of its gems. Alexandrite, a strong pleochroic (trichroic) gem, exhibit emerald green, red and orange-yellow colors and they tend to change their color in artificial light compared to daylight. Cymophane is popularly known as cat's eye. This variety exhibits pleasing chatoyant or opalescence that reminds one of an eye of a cat.

Historical Facts of Chrysoberyl

Refractive Index: 1.741 - 1.760

Chemical Composition: BeAl2O4

Hardness: 8.5

Density: 3.5 - 3.84

Crystal Group: Orthorhombic

Luster: Vitreous

Zodiac Sign: Leo

Color: Yellow, Green, Brown, Red, Blue, Blue-green

Chrysoberyl Varieties: Ordinary chrysoberyl, Alexandrite, Cymophane

Ocurrence: Brazil, Sri Lanka, Ceylon, Tanzania, Russia, Madagascar

Gemstone Chrysoberyl Jewelry