are, undoubtedly, brought from the Russian Empire, principally
from Siberia and the Urals, where the ancient Romans probably
found them. Specimens from these regions display a great
variety of splendid hues, including green, blue, white, yellow,
and pink, —a rare color in this gem.
Beryl crystals not unfrequently attain a colossal magnitude.
A specimen owned by Don Pedro, of Brazil, shaped like the
head of a calf, weighed two hundred and twenty-five ounces
Troy, but this crystal is almost microscopic compared to some
obtained from Grafton, New Hampshire, seen in the collections
of different museums. One single example taken from this
locality yielded the astonishing weight of two thousand and
nine hundred pounds, avoirdupois, while a second crystal
gave a weight of one thousand and seventy-six pounds.
The beryl occasionally exhibits two distinct colors in the
same specimen, but generally they are monochromatic, passing
into white at the extremities. The tints are considerably
varied, embracing shades of green, blue, yellow, and rose, due
chiefly to iron, except in the emerald and aquamarine, which
are supposed to be the result of chrome. It always occurs in
crystals, from transparent to opaque, which assume the form of
six-sided prisms, and are sometimes striated. The yellow
beryl has been called chrysolite, but it differs from that
precious stone in everything except color. The white or colorless variety often passes by the name of " Rhine diamond " —
which is really glass — on account of its fine lustre, and it is
sometimes taken for the white topaz.
The beryl and the emerald were formerly classed as distinct
species, but most modern mineralogists call the fine, transparent green beryl emerald, and the paler tints aquamarine.
The ancients obtained the beryl at first from India, then from
Arabia, and later from Siberia. The Indian lapidaries were
