Red Beryl
Also Bixbite
Raspberry-red beryl from one mountain range in Utah.
- Family
- Beryl
- Formula
- Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
- Mohs
- 7.5 to 8
- System
- Hexagonal
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Science
Red beryl forms in rhyolite lava where beryllium-rich gas met manganese in fractures, a combination so unlikely it has happened at gem quality only in the Wah Wah Mountains. Crystals are small, typically under a centimetre, and heavily included.
- Mineral
- Beryl (variety)
- Formula
- Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5 to 8
- Specific gravity
- 2.72
- Refractive index
- 1.577 to 1.583
- Lustre
- Vitreous
- Colours
- Red, Raspberry
Composition
Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈. Made of Beryllium, Aluminium, Silicon, Oxygen, with trace Manganese responsible for colour.
Origin
- United StatesWah Wah Mountains, Utah
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
One gem locality in the world. Estimated at one red beryl for every 150,000 gem diamonds; stones over a carat are exceptional.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Red Beryl sits at 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale. It will scratch glass and holds a polish in daily wear.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Root
- Heart
Element
- Fire
Zodiac
- Aries
- Scorpio
Planets
- Mars
Properties
- Passion
- Courage
- Vitality
- Creative drive
Lore
Maynard Bixby found it in 1904 in the Thomas Range, and the Ruby Violet claim in the Wah Wahs was worked from 1958. Mining has been intermittent and mostly by hand.
It has no history before the twentieth century and is mostly a collector's stone; in practice it is treated as a stronger, rarer cousin of ruby.
- RatioAbout 1 red beryl to 150,000 diamonds, per the Utah Geological Survey.
- SyntheticRussian hydrothermal red beryl exists and is far larger than any natural stone.