Heliodor Value, Price, And Jewelry Information

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

Heliodor

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

The International Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.

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

Heliodor Information

Data	Value
Name	Heliodor
Is a Variety of	Beryl
Colors	Greenish yellow, yellow, yellowish-orange
Alternate Common Names	Golden Beryl
Crystallography	Hexagonal.
Refractive Index	1.566-1.579
Luster	Vitreous.
Hardness	7.5 - 8
Wearability	Good
Fracture	Conchoidal to uneven
Specific Gravity	2.68-2.72
Birefringence	0.005-0.009
Cleavage	Indistinct
Dispersion	0.014 (low)
Stone Sizes	See Below
Transparency	Transparent to opaque.
Formula	Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈+ Fe³⁺
Pleochroism	Less distinct than the other beryls. Brownish-yellow to lemon-yellow.
Optics	Uniaxial (-)
Optic Sign	Uniaxial -
Etymology	From the Greek helios and doron for “gift of the sun,” in allusion to the yellow color.
Occurrence	Granitic 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)