Beryl is a type of gemstone that is abundant. It is becoming increasingly popular to use this gem for exquisite jewellery. It has been massively overlooked previously, but as it is so plentiful, you see much more of it available in the marketplace, especially for jewellery. If you are planning to buy jewellery, below are some of the characteristics of beryl and how you can identify it from other gems, so you can recognise it the next time you go shopping.
Where Beryl Comes From?
Many gemstones are included in the beryl family of gems. You can get green emerald, blue aquamarine, colourless goshenite, red beryl, pink morganite, and golden beryl. You can find these gemstones naturally occurring throughout the world, including in:
- Brazil
- Austria
- Colombia
- Germany
- Madagascar
- Norway
- Nigeria
- Russia
- Sri Lanka
- USA
Although these beautiful gems do not occur naturally, you can buy green beryl stone in Australia and in any other country easily enough. However, you need to correctly identify beryl to ensure you know what you are buying. This is not always easy without knowledge and experience. Before shopping for jewellery made from beryl, you will want to educate yourself on the various properties these gemstones have.
The Properties Of Beryl
One way that you can identify beryl is by looking at the hardness of the gemstones. Although not as hard as diamonds, beryl is a relatively hard substance. They are much harder than anything you find in the feldspar, quartz, or apatite families. You often find that beryl will have a hardness between 7.5 – 8 on the Mohs scale. A straightforward way to see if a gemstone is beryl or not is through using a microscope. When you look at the crystalline structure of the beryl gemstone, you will notice that it is hexagonal. If you see six sides of the hexagonal structure that make up the gem, it is most likely beryl.
Beryl can also be brittle compared to other gemstones, and it is also highly likely to have inclusions in the gems. You can find the gems in various colours ranging from blue to greenish yellow, but you can also get clear, opaque ones and black. The only commercial use for these gems today is in the jewellery trade. It can make beautiful jewellery, and when you get a large gemstone that is flawless, it can also be highly valuable.
Buying Beryl Gemstone Jewellery
No matter what type of beryl you prefer, it is widely available in reputable jewellery stores throughout the world. Many jewellery designers incorporate this gem into their designs because of the properties of the gem and its hardness, which means it will last for a long time. Beryl is made into many types of jewellery, including rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants, brooches, and bracelets. Whatever type of jewellery you want to buy, you will be able to find a design that uses beryl. You can also consider having bespoke jewellery made using this gemstone, which means you can have something 100% unique as you are. If you are looking to buy jewellery and want something from the beryl family of gemstones, plenty of choices are available, with something suitable for all tastes and budgets.
