Red Beryl
A variety of Beryl
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About Red Beryl
Colour:
Gooseberry red, carmine red, scarlet red
Lustre:
Vitreous
Hardness:
7½ - 8
Crystal System:
Hexagonal
Name:
Originally named bixbite by Alfred Eppler in honor of Maynard Bixby [1853-1935], miner and mineral dealer of Salt Lake City, Utah. Named changed to red beryl to remove any confusion with the species bixbyite, named for the same person.
A gooseberry-red variety of beryl.
Originally described from Maynard's Claim (Pismire Knolls), Thomas Range, Juab Co., Utah, USA.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Red Beryl.
Originally described from Maynard's Claim (Pismire Knolls), Thomas Range, Juab Co., Utah, USA.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Red Beryl.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
690 (as Red Beryl)
819 (as Beryl)
819 (as Beryl)
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:690:3 (as Red Beryl)
mindat:1:1:819:6 (as Beryl)
mindat:1:1:819:6 (as Beryl)
Physical Properties of Red Beryl
Vitreous
Transparency:
Transparent, Translucent
Colour:
Gooseberry red, carmine red, scarlet red
Comment:
The natural red beryl of this study is characterized by a number of minor and trace elements. Considering the transition metals, the most abundant are Fe (i.e., 21,921 wt ppm) and Mn (i.e., 3057 wt ppm), the latter playing an important role in determining its red color
Streak:
White
Hardness:
7½ - 8 on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Imperfect/Fair
{0001}
{0001}
Fracture:
Conchoidal, Sub-Conchoidal
Optical Data of Red Beryl
Type:
Uniaxial (-)
RI values:
nω = 1.572 - 1.580 nε = 1.564 - 1.570
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.008 - 0.010
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars.
Surface Relief:
Moderate
Comments:
moderate to strong, purplish-red (nε) and orange-red (nω) dichroism
Crystallography of Red Beryl
Crystal System:
Hexagonal
Geological Environment
Geological Setting:
Mineralized rhyolite tuffs
First Recorded Occurrence of Red Beryl
Co-First Recorded Localities:
Geological Setting of First Recorded Material:
Mineralized rhyolite tuff.
Associated Minerals at First Recorded Locality:
Synonyms of Red Beryl
Other Language Names for Red Beryl
Varieties of Red Beryl
| Raspberyl | A marketing term for a raspberry-red beryl, also used for some raspberry-red pezzottaite (cesium beryl) crystals from Madagascar. Note that there is no relationship between the raspberry-red colour and the cesium content, i.e. a raspberry-red beryl can be... |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 45 photos of Red Beryl associated with Hematite | Fe2O3 |
| 26 photos of Red Beryl associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 24 photos of Red Beryl associated with 'Rhyolite' | |
| 19 photos of Red Beryl associated with Topaz | Al2(SiO4)(F,OH)2 |
| 17 photos of Red Beryl associated with Bixbyite-(Mn) | Mn3+2O3 |
| 10 photos of Red Beryl associated with Pseudobrookite | Fe3+2Ti4+O5 |
| 6 photos of Red Beryl associated with Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
| 5 photos of Red Beryl associated with Holfertite | CaxU6+2-xTi(O8-xOH4x) · 3H2O |
| 4 photos of Red Beryl associated with Sanidine | K(AlSi3O8) |
| 4 photos of Red Beryl associated with Garnet Group | X3Z2(SiO4)3 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:
gemstone
Internet Links for Red Beryl
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-690.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
Mineral Dealers:
References for Red Beryl
Reference List:
Nassau, K., Wood, D. L. (1968) An examination of red beryl from Utah. American Mineralogist, 53 (5-6) 801-806
Shigley, James E., Foord, Eugene E. (1984) Gem-Quality Red Beryl from the Wah Wah Mountains, Utah. Gems & Gemology, 20 (4) 208-221 doi:10.5741/gems.20.4.208
Hosaka, Masahiro, Tubokawa, Kiyomi, Hatushika, Toshio, Yamashita, Hisao (1993) Observations of red beryl crystals from the Wah Wah mountains, Utah. The Journal of Gemmology, 23 (7) 409-411 doi:10.15506/jog.1993.23.7.409
Henn, Ulrich, Milisenda, Claudio C. (2000) Synthetic red beryl from Russia. The Journal of Gemmology, 26 (1) 481-486 doi:10.15506/jog.1999.26.8.481
Shigley, James E., McClure, Shane F., Cole, Jo Ellen, Koivula, John I., Lu, Taijin, Elen, Shane, Demianets, Ludmila N. (2001) Hydrothermal Synthetic Red Beryl from the Institute of Crystallography, Moscow. Gems & Gemology, 37 (1) 42-55 doi:10.5741/gems.37.1.42
Shigley, James E., Thompson, Timothy J., Keith, Jeffrey D. (2003) Red Beryl from Utah: A Review and Update. Gems & Gemology, 39 (4) 302-313 doi:10.5741/gems.39.4.302
Fumagalli, Marco, Prosperi, Loredana, Pavese, Alessandro, Bordiga, Silvia (2003) Natural versus hydrothermal synthetic Russian red beryl: chemical composition and spectroscopic measurements. The Journal of Gemmology, 28 (5) 291-301 doi:10.15506/jog.2003.28.5.291
Fridrichová, Jana, Bačík, Peter, Ertl, Andreas, Wildner, Manfred, Dekan, Július, Miglierini, Marcel (2018) Jahn-Teller distortion of Mn3+-occupied octahedra in red beryl from Utah indicated by optical spectroscopy. Journal of Molecular Structure, 1152. 79-86 doi:10.1016/j.molstruc.2017.09.081
Andersson, Lars Olov (2019) Comments on Beryl Colors and on Other Observations Regarding Iron-containing Beryls. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 551-566 doi:10.3749/canmin.1900021
Localities for Red Beryl
Showing 12 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
USA | |
| New Mexico Mineral Research |
| www.agmc.info (n.d.) |
| Northrop et al. (1996) | |
| King (n.d.) +1 other reference |
| Montgomery (1934) +1 other reference |
| King (n.d.) | |
| Bracke (n.d.) +1 other reference | |
| Rick Dalrymple | |
| Collected by and in the collection of ... | |
| Holfert et al. (1996) |
| A Field Guide to Topaz and Associated ... | |
| Meyer (1982) |
Ruby Violet claims, Beaver County, Utah, USA