How A Red Beryl is Formed

Rarer than a diamond, red beryl, sometimes called a red emerald, is an exquisite deep red stone with a pinkish undertone. The stone possesses unmatched beauty; it is often confused with a ruby due to its similar color and visual appearance.  In reality, these two precious stones are entirely different from one another. The two gemstones are nothing alike with different constitutional elements, developing and mining requirements, crystal structures, and inclusions.

Due to their rare occurrence, these scarlet gemstones are incredibly pricey. Most of the natural red beryls currently available in the market are sourced from Wah Wah Mountains in Beaver County, Utah. The Utah Geological Survey suggests that only one red beryl is mined for every 150,0000 gem-quality diamonds. The unique geochemical and geophysical needs of this stone account for its scarcity. Minerals like beryllium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen should be available in sufficient quantities at the same time and place for red beryl crystal formation to occur. Moreover, cracks and hollows are also needed to serve as cavities for these crystals to grow within.

If you’re wondering just how this fascinating stone came into existence, then you’re not alone! All gemstones, including red beryl, have really interesting histories. Each has its specific requirements that are needed for the development of gem-quality crystals.

Formation:

It is believed that red beryls came into being about 18 to 20 million years ago after the eruption of topaz rhyolite lava from volcanic vents at the Ruby Violet Mine. As the lava moved forwards along its path, it led to the creation of deep hollows, fractures, and cavities within the surrounding rocks. Eventually, the lava began cooling down from its molten state and settled in these cracks. The eruption had also led to the active degassing of the magma chamber underneath. As this pool of molten rock is located deep at the earth’s core became activated, it released beryllium-rich water and gases into the volcanic atmosphere.

As the lava that sank in the hollows started cooling down and hardening in the presence of the gasses and water from the magma chamber underneath, red beryls began forming.

Crystallization:

While this happened within the volcano, the water from above the surface simultaneously started entering through the cracks and moving downwards. This water absorbed oxygen, silicon, manganese, and aluminum from the rocks present above and carried it along. When the mineral and gas-rich cool water from the surface came in contact with the superheated water and gasses within the volcano, crystallization was triggered. Supposedly this reaction occurred at nearly 300 to 650 degrees Celsius to give rise to stable, rigid, lava-like red crystals that measure 7.5 – 8 on Moh’s hardness scale.

Features of an honest Red Beryl:

• Naturally occurring crystals of red emeraldhave unrivaled clarity.
• When viewed under a microscope, significant inclusions are visible. These are clear indicators of what situation a crystal was developed under and result from one mineral getting trapped inside another during the formation process.
• Natural red berylwill have a consistent hexagonal system of these inclusions and growth tubes. Initially, these tubes are hollow, continuous, even from the sides, and run straight. But as the crystal develops, they become filled with opaque white content from other minerals.
• Within the fractures of the sedimentary rocks, red beryl crystals exist as clusters. The gem-quality stones faceted from these are barely ever larger than 1 carat and are usually less than 1-centimeter diameter. The most enormous crystal ever mined was 2 centimeters wide and 5 centimeters long.
• The only localities in the world supplying gem-quality red berylsare Utah and New Mexico.
• They have a consistent red color with a pink undertone that isn’t affected by heat. The stone’s deep, the rich color remains intact and can withstand temperatures as high as 1000 degrees.
• Since these stones are formed at extremely high pressures and temperatures, they are very sturdy and hard. Even when dropped, natural red beryldoesn’t break or shatter easily.

Treated and Synthetic Red Beryls:

Not all red beryl retailers sell 100% authentic gemstones. More often than you think, these stones are either synthetically made in labs or treated to enhance their beauty and make them look expensive. Like other beryl family members, natural red beryls often need to be stabilized to increase their durability before they are made part of jewelry items. Hence, they can be treated with chemicals to make them long-lasting and add to their appearance. Sometimes, resin may also be used to fill in extra cracks and fractures within the stone.

Since Red Beryls are rare and costly, there have been several attempts to create this gemstone artificially. In Russia during the 1990s, the first imitation red beryl was constructed by hydrothermal process. Although it looked visually similar, any geologist or gemstone enthusiast would be able to identify that this stone was a fake. Real Red Beryls are works of art. Their clarity, crystal arrangement, color, and luster cannot be imitated in a laboratory.

Deposits:

These scarlet gemstones are a result of natural events that occur after billions of years. For these red crystals to form in nature, several factors have to be present simultaneously. Minerals, gasses, extremely high temperatures, cavities, and high pressures are all necessary for their formation. There are only a handful of places in the world where red beryl crystals have been discovered and mined. Deposits of these crystals can be found in; Crystal peak of the Wah-Wah Mountains, Wild-horse Springs, Topaz Valley, and Starvation Canyon in Utah. Black Range and East Grants Ridge in New Mexico. San Luis Potosi in Mexico and Georgia, North Carolina as well as South Dakota.

Our Final Thoughts!

To think that red beryls are small lumps of hardened lava and that each of these crystals was formed after a series of natural events is indeed fascinating. Currently, these stones of crystallized lava are more expensive than the highest quality gold. Depending on their weight and clarity, prices of red beryls range from $75,000 to $100,000. These gemstones are an excellent investment as their value is likely to double in the coming years.