Heliodor Value, Price, and Jewelry Information

Heliodor or Golden Beryl
By Parent Géry (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Heliodor is a member of the beryl family. This stone is known for its range of yellow colors: from pale yellow, greenish-yellow, orange-yellow, to a deep golden orange. Heliodor can be faceted for use in jewelry.

Heliodor Value

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Beryl Value via Gem Price Guide
Red .1 to 1 carat 1 carat plus
to ,000/ct to ,000/ct
Fine Color Morganite: slpR 3/4
Morganite 1 to 10 carats 10 carat plus
to /ct to /ct
Fine Color Yellow: Y 4/4
Gold & Yellow 1 to 10 carats 10 carat plus
to /ct to /ct
Fine Color Green: slyG 4/3
Green 1 to 20 carats 20 carats plus
to /ct to /ct
Goshenite All sizes
to /ct

See the entire Gem Price Guide.

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Heliodor Information

DataValue
NameHeliodor
Is a Variety ofBeryl
Alternate Common NamesGolden Beryl
Crystallography Hexagonal.
Refractive Index 1.566-1.579
Colors Greenish yellow, yellow, yellowish-orange
Luster Vitreous.
Fracture Conchoidal to uneven
Hardness 7.5 - 8
Specific Gravity 2.68-2.72
Birefringence 0.005-0.009
Cleavage Indistinct
Dispersion 0.014 (low)
Stone SizesSee Below
Transparency Transparent to opaque.
FormulaBe3Al2Si6O18 + Fe3+
Pleochroism Less distinct than the other beryls.  Brownish-yellow to lemon-yellow.
Optics Uniaxial (-)
EtymologyFrom the Greek helios and doron for "gift of the sun," in allusion to the yellow color.
OccurrenceGranitic rocks, especially granite pegmatites.
Inclusions Long, hollow tubes, negative crystals, chrysanthemums.

Comments

Green beryl is sometimes misidentified as heliodor. (Editor’s Note: some gemologists, notably Walter Schumann, reject heliodor as a distinct variety of beryl and consider it a weak-colored golden precious beryl).

Sources

  • Madagascar: gemmy crystals
  • Brazil: greenish yellow to fine deep orange colored material, much of it gemmy.
  • Namibia: in pegmatites.
  • Connecticut: small but fine colored crystals, some gemmy.

Stone Sizes

  • British Museum (Natural History) (London England): 82.25 (yellow)
  • Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Ontario, Canada):  77.8 (yellow, step cut, Brazil)
  • Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC): 133.5 (yellow, Madagascar); 43.5 (golden catseye, Madagascar); 17.5 (yellow, Russia)

Care

Consult our gemstone care guide for recommended cleaning methods.