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Beryl (var. heliodor)
Greg Polley
Specimen | Catalog Number | Locality | Weight |
---|---|---|---|
Beryl | NMNH G11470 | Brazil, Minas Gerais | 147.00 ct |
Gift of Patrick Coughlin in 2014.
The mineral beryl has many beautiful gem varieties: intense green emerald, blue to blue-green aquamarine, golden yellow heliodor, rare red beryl, and pink morganite. Beryl, in its pure form, is colorless. The rich hues of its gems are caused by a variety of impurity atoms that were incorporated in the crystals as they grew. The yellow glow of heliodor is due to impurities of iron. Heliodor gets its name from two Greek words meaning sun and gift. This deeply saturated heliodor is a natural orange-yellow color. The modified oval cut gem weighs 147.23ct and is from Brazil.