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The beryl is a mineral belonging to the primitive formation, and is found in quartz veins and granite.
It crystallizes in six-sided prisms and is composed largely of silica, the third most common of earth's productions. The beryl is 7.5 to 8. in hardness, scratching quartz, but is scratched by topaz.
The specific gravity is 2.67 to 2.73, making it one of the light minerals. Its lustre is vitreous and refraction double to a slight degree; its cleavage is imperfectly basal, and it becomes electric by rubbing.
Acids do not attack the beryl, but it melts with borax and is soluble in salts of phosphorus.
This stone is found in various colors, grass-green, pale-green, light-blue, greenish-blue, greenish-yellow, yellow, and sometimes pink.
The most important of these colors is the grass-green, which forms a separate division of the beryl family, and is known as the emerald. BERYL.
The second and less valuable division of the beryl family comprises the following colors:
Clear light sky-blue, called by lapidaries aquamarine; very light greenish-blue, known as Siberian aquamarine; and a greenish-yellow variety, called aquamarine chrysolite.
These three kinds are usually very brilliant, and especially so by artificial light, in which respect the beryl is superior to many of the more valuable gem stones. Beryls of very large size have been found in New Hampshire, one of which has been estimated to weigh over two tons. While the large specimens are worthless for gem stones, some very handsome aquamarines and golden-yellow beryls have been found during the past few years in New Hampshire and Connecticut. These stones, when cut, compare favorably with the best of their kind. |
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Precious Stones Guide Vol 1
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