Aquamarine, Morganite, Golden beryl, Emerald

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family with a narrow range of color from light blue to green blue. Much of the material is very light in color. Traces of iron in its crystal structure give Aquamarine its color. Aquamarine is often heated to enhance the coloration as much of the rough material is actually a yellowish color. Heat treating removes the undesirable hues of yellow leaving the gem a purer blue. This treatment is stable and permanent.  Aquamarine crystals can be very small to huge. Some in excess of 100 lbs. The gems hardness makes it a good choice for jewelry.  Brazil and China are the major source for rough material.

Golden Beryl, also known as heliodor, has a yellow to golden hue.  Some golden beryl is found in the USA but most of the material comes from brazil and Afghanistan. The material is usually treated by irradiation to enhance the yellow color.

Morganite, the pinkish variety of beryl,  is named after the wealthy banker J.P. Morgan. Some morganite can be a deep magenta color but most is a light pink which looks great in jewelry. Morganite is found in Afghanistan, Madagascar, the USA and Brazil. Much of the material is heat treated to remove any orange tints. The treatment is undetectable so morganite is assumed to have been treated.  Morganite is a clarity class I with most of the material being eye clean.

Emerald, the most familiar of the beryl family, is the name given to the darker richer variety of green beryl. The term emerald is often misused when used describing the lighter material which should be sold as green beryl and not emerald. Most of the quality emeralds come from Columbia. Emerald is a clarity class III gem with most of the gems showing obvious inclusions. Emerald is sometimes treated with oils and other fillers to hide the inclusions. Photo to right is green beryl.