Beryl

Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine.

Beryl belongs to the hexagonal crystal system. Normally Beryl forms hexagonal columns but can also occur in massive habits. As a cyclosilicate beryl incorporates rings of silicate tetrahedra of Si6O18 that are arranged in columns along the C axis and as parallel layers perpendicular to the C axis, forming channels along the C axis. These channels permit a variety of ions, neutral atoms, and molecules to be incorporated into the crystal thus disrupting the overall charge of the crystal permitting further substitutions in Aluminium, Silicon, and Beryllium sites in the crystal structure. These impurities give rise to the variety of colors of beryl that can be found. Increasing alkali content within the silicate ring channels causes increases to the refractive indices and birefringence.

Beryl is very popularly used in jewelry and also in art. There are six varieties of this mineral, with emerald and aquamarine being the most popular. It is also one of the sources of the element beryllium, which is used by the scientific community for applications such as wiring; however, it is more costly to extract beryllium from this mineral than other sources.

In ancient Mesopotamia, beryl was prized as a precious stone with the power to strengthen one's belief in gods. According to existing legends, this stone was used as a talisman to ward off evil spirits. In ancient Greece, the stone was believed to have magical healing properties.

Beryl of various colors is found most commonly in granitic pegmatites, but also occurs in mica schists in the Ural Mountains, and limestone in Colombia. Beryl is often associated with tin and tungsten ore bodies. Beryl is found in Europe in Norway, Austria, Germany, Sweden (especially morganite), Ireland and Russia, as well as Brazil, Colombia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Pakistan, Afghanistan, South Africa, the United States, and Zambia. US beryl locations are in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.

New England's pegmatites have produced some of the largest beryls found, including one massive crystal from the Bumpus Quarry in Albany, Maine with dimensions 5.5 by 1.2 m (18.0 by 3.9 ft) with a mass of around 18 metric tons; it is New Hampshire's state mineral. As of 1999, the world's largest known naturally occurring crystal of any mineral is a crystal of beryl from Malakialina, Madagascar, 18 m (59 ft) long and 3.5 m (11 ft) in diameter, and weighing 380,000 kg (840,000 lb).

The name "beryl" is derived (via Latin: beryllus, Old French: beryl, and Middle English: beril) from Greek βήρυλλος beryllos which referred to a "precious blue-green color-of-sea-water stone"; from Prakrit verulia, veluriya ("beryl"), from Sanskrit वैडूर्य vaiḍūrya "brought from Vidûra" (originally lapis lazuli) which is ultimately of Dravidian origin, maybe from the name of Belur or "Velur" a town in Karnataka, southern India. The term was later adopted for the mineral beryl more exclusively. When the first eyeglasses were constructed in 13th century Italy, the lenses were made of beryl (or of rock crystal) as glass could not be made clear enough. Consequently, glasses were named Brillen in German (bril in Dutch and briller in Danish).

Beryl is believed to detoxify the body from the negative effects caused by excessive stress and mental exhaustion. It is believed that the stone helps to encourage positive energy to flow through the body and also restores vitality and drive. This stone can be used to align the chakras, bringing a sense of balance and contentment to meet the challenges of daily life.