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Chemical Formula: BeAl2O4
Mineral Name: Chrysoberyl
Color: Transparent yellowish green to greenish
yellow and pale brown
Hardness: 8.5
Specific gravity: 3.68-3.78
Chrysoberyl is a gray, green to yellow, or brown
vitreous mineral, BeAl2O4, relatively rare and used as
a gemstone. It derives its name from the Greek words
for golden and crystal, respectively chrysos and
berullos. An extremely hard and brilliant gemstone
that is frequently found as cat's eyes, legend
maintains chrysoberyl cat's eye wearers would be
protected from evil spirits, illness and poverty. A
rare collectible color-change variety of chrysoberyl
is called Alexandrite. The Alexandrite and Cat's Eye
varieties of chrysoberyl are very expensive.
Chrysoberyl is a minor ore of beryllium.
Fine cat's-eye chrysoberyl often also shows the "milk
and honey" effect. When a bright light source is
directed at the side of the stone, one side of the eye
will be milky white and the other remains gold.
Cat's-eye chrysoberyl is believed to posses a powerful
talisman that can direct fortunes.
The chrysoberyls may also have faceted varieties with
a honey-gold color. The most natural uncut crystals of
chyrsoberyl are the cyclic twins called "trillings"
that appear hexagonal but are the result of a triplet
of three "twins," with each "twin" taking up 120
degrees of the cyclic trilling.
Chrysoberyl's deposits are found in Ural Mountains in
Russia. Minas Gerais and Bahia provinces in Brazil,
Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and in small deposits in India,
Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Fairly large
deposits occur in Connecticut, Maine, New York and
Colorado etc.
