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Ch. 7: Beryl: Emeralds

Ch. 6: Corundum: Sapphires Page of 111 Ch. 7: Beryl: Emeralds Text size:minus plus Restore normal size   Mail page  Print this page
     
     
 
The Emerald
  
 
 
  
 
Beryl is a mineral known to gem lovers under several different names, the most valued of which is the Emerald. The mineral beryl com­posing the various gems is practically the same in composition, hardness, and other properties, and the gems may be differentiated only by their color. In composition beryl is a silicate of aluminum and glucinum. On the scale of hardness beryl is graded 7-1/2 to 8, and is thus much softer than the diamond, ruby, or sapphire. It is owing to this fact that the emerald scratches easily and that care must be taken that when worn it is not subject to chafing by diamonds or other harder gems.
Beryl as a mineral is of quite common occur­rence, and the crystals of the mineral in its cruder form often grow to enormous size. There is one such single crystal preserved in the Boston Museum of Natural History, which is three and one half feet long and three feet wide and weighs several tons.
Beryl in this common form occurs in many
  
 
 
  
     
Ch. 6: Corundum: Sapphires Page of 111 Ch. 7: Beryl: Emeralds
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