Red beryl, slightly purplish red, 0.31 cts, 5.4 x 3.9 mm, navette cut, Wah Wah Mountains, Utah. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.
Originally known as bixbite, red beryls are some of the rarest, most desirable, and most expensive gemstones.
The International Gem Society (IGS) has a list of businesses offering gemstone appraisal services.
The great rarity of this material and its popularity with collectors mean that almost any sized piece in any clarity and color grade can find a ready buyer.
Red beryl, medium-dark red, 0.60 cts, 6.5 x 5 mm, custom hexagon cut, Wah Wah Mountains, Utah. © The Gem Trader. Used with permission.
| Data | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Red Beryl |
| Is a Variety of | Beryl |
| Alternate Common Names | Bixbite |
| Crystallography | Hexagonal. |
| Refractive Index | 1.567-1.572 |
| Colors | Red, deep rose, raspberry pink |
| Luster | Vitreous. |
| Hardness | 7.5-8 |
| Wearability | Poor |
| Fracture | Conchoidal to uneven |
| Specific Gravity | 2.66-2.70 |
| Birefringence | 0.004-0.008 |
| Cleavage | Indistinct |
| Dispersion | 0.014 (low) |
| Stone Sizes | Crystals up to 2" in length. The very few stones known are less than 3 carats. |
| Heat Sensitivity | No |
| Enhancements | Fracture filling, rare. |
| Typical Treatments | Fracture/Cavity Filling |
| Special Care Instructions | None |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent. |
| Absorption Spectrum | Bands at 4250, 4800, 5300, and 5600-5800. |
| Formula | Be3Al2Si6O18 (+Mn, +Cs, +Ti, +Zn, +Sn, +Li, +Rb, +B, +Zr, +Nb, +Pb and traces of other elements) |
| Pleochroism | Purplish-red/orange-red. |
| Optics | RI: o = 1.568-1.572; e = 1.567-1.568; Uniaxial (-) |
| Optic Sign | Uniaxial - |
| Etymology | Bixbite is named after its discoverer, the mineralogist Maynard Bixby. The preferred name for this gem is red beryl, to avoid confusion with the mineral bixbyite, which is also named after him. |
| Occurrence | In rhyolitic volcanic rocks. |
| Inclusions | Long, hollow tubes, negative crystals, chrysanthemums. Healed and unhealed fractures, growth banding, two-phase inclusions, quartz, and bixbyite. |
Red beryls on matrix, specimen 6.0 x 2.7 x 2.6 cm, Harris Claim, Wah Wah Mountans, Utah, USA. © Rob Lavinsky, www.iRocks.com. Used with permission.
Discovered in 1904, this member of the beryl family is found in gem quality at only one site, the Wah Wah Mountains in Utah. Most fine crystal specimens are zealously guarded by mineral collectors and never faceted.
The best stones would have a raspberry pink to slightly purplish red color and be no more than slightly included. The rule of exponential increase in price with increase in size decidedly applies to this gem so often found in sub-carat sizes. With red beryls, cut is an afterthought, value wise. Gem cutters seek to produce the largest possible gems from their rough. As a result, windowed stones with poor proportions are in the majority.
Unlike other beryls, red beryl occurs in white volcanic rhyolite. Lapidaries cut fewer than 10,000 stones per year, with more than 95% of those being melee, mostly in lower grades. Few crystals approach gem quality.
In the past, various commercial mining ventures have had sporadic success in producing stones, but a new enterprise, using more modern methods, is doing better.
Faceted red beryl (bixbite). Photo by DonGuennie. Licensed under CC By-SA 4.0.
Recently, Russian synthetic red beryl has come on the market.
Although it has an exception hardness of 7.5 to 8, red beryls can have many inclusions. Extremely rare faceted pieces may also have received fracture fillings. Therefore, for care purposes, treat these gems like emeralds, another beryl gem. However, you’ll more likely encounter these gems in a mineral collection than in a jewelry collection. Consult our gemstone care guide for recommended cleaning methods.
Red beryl (crystal size 1.7 cm), Wah Wah Mts, Beaver Co., Utah, USA. Photo by Didier Descouens. Licensed under CC By-SA 3.0.
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