Search: 327 results found for "emerald"

Emerald Crystal | Raw | 1.45g

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CHF 40.00

Emerald Triplet | Multi-Column Growth | 47.43g | Colombia

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CHF 555.00

Emerald Tumblestones 10-20mm

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CHF 5.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 6.2g Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 6.2g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 9.14gr Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 9.14g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Dioptase Mineral Specimen | 4.8cm | DRC

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CHF 85.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 9.9g Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 9.9g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 7.9 gr Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 7.9g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Malachite Stalactite | 18cm | Democratic Republic of Congo

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CHF 337.00

XL Malachite Tumblestones | 25-42mm | Democratic Republic of Congo

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CHF 8.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 11.9gr Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 11.9g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Malachite Spheres | 2-2.5cm | Congo

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CHF 40.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 9.1gr Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 9.1g | With Calcite | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen 9.7g Specimens Tali & Loz Crystals

Uvarovite Garnet Specimen | 9.7g | Ural Mountains, Russia

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~~CHF 43.00~~ CHF 26.00

Cancer Zodiac Crystal Set

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CHF 14.00

Green Tourmaline (Verdelite) | 14 × 13 × 11mm | Brazil

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CHF 29.00

Barite on Malachite | 52mm | Shangulowe Mine, DR Congo

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CHF 393.00

Green Fluorite Statement Sphere 8.2KG

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CHF 891.00

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Aquamarine: The Iron Chemistry Behind the Sea-Blue Beryl

What is Aquamarine? Mineral Group: Silicate | Category: Beryl Variety | Formula: Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ | Hardness: 7.5 – 8 (Mohs) Aquamarine is the pale blue to blue-green gem variety of Beryl, a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate mineral and one of the most important gemstone species in mineralogy. Its name derives directly from the Latin aqua marina, meaning water of the sea, a reference to the pale, translucent blue that defines the variety at its finest and that has made it one of the most enduringly valued gemstones across cultures and centuries. The colour ranges from near-colourless with a hint of blue through pale sky blue to deeper blue and blue-green, with the most prized material showing a rich, saturated blue with minimal green component. Beryl as a mineral species produces more named gem varieties than almost any other single species in mineralogy. Emerald is the green chromium and vanadium-bearing variety. Morganite is the pink manganese-bearing variety. Heliodor is the yellow iron-bearing variety. Red Beryl, also known as Bixbite, is an extremely rare manganese-coloured variety found almost exclusively in Utah. Golden Beryl is the pure yellow variety. All of these, along with colourless Goshenite, are the same mineral species with different trace element colorations. Aquamarine sits within this family as the iron-coloured blue variety, its colour produced specifically by iron in the Fe²⁺ oxidation state within the hexagonal beryl structure. Browse our Aquamarine collection to find rough crystals, cut stones, and matrix specimens. Formation and Geological Context Aquamarine forms primarily in granitic pegmatites, the exceptionally coarse-grained, volatile-rich igneous rocks that crystallise from the final stages of granitic magma. Pegmatites concentrate the rare elements that do not easily fit into common rock-forming minerals, including beryllium, which is an essential component of Beryl and is present in the Earth’s crust at very low average concentrations of roughly 2 to 6 parts per million. The concentration of beryllium into pegmatitic melts through the process of magmatic differentiation is the fundamental geological prerequisite for Beryl crystallisation, which is why gem-quality Beryl of all varieties is associated almost exclusively with pegmatite environments. Within the pegmatite, Aquamarine crystallises as the melt cools and volatile elements including water, fluorine, and beryllium become concentrated in the residual fluid. The iron that produces the blue colour is incorporated from the surrounding geological environment into the growing crystal structure, with Fe²⁺ ions substituting into the structural channels of the Beryl framework. The specific oxidation state of the iron is critical: Fe²⁺ produces blue, while Fe³⁺ produces yellow, and the presence of both simultaneously produces a green colour. Heat treatment, which converts Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ by reducing the iron, is the standard practice used to remove unwanted yellow and green components from natural Aquamarine and is widely accepted in the gem trade. Aquamarine also occurs in metamorphic rocks derived from beryllium-rich igneous protoliths, and in alluvial deposits where weathering has liberated crystals from their host pegmatites and concentrated them in stream sediments. Another exceptional gem that forms in the pegmatite and high-temperature metamorphic environment is Tanzanite, though its geological story is quite different — found in a single locality in Tanzania and potentially running out within a generation. The most significant sources of gem-quality Aquamarine include Minas Gerais in Brazil, which has produced some of the largest and finest crystals ever recorded, including the Dom Pedro Aquamarine, the largest cut Aquamarine gemstone in existence at 10,363 carats, now in the Smithsonian Institution. Other major sources include Pakistan, particularly the Shigar Valley in the Karakoram Mountains, which produces exceptionally fine deeply coloured material, Nigeria, Madagascar, Mozambique, and various localities in Russia, the United States, and China. Key Physical Properties Property Detail Mineral Group Silicate Category Beryl Variety Crystal System Hexagonal Hardness 7.5 – 8 Mohs Specific Gravity 2.65 – 2.85 Refractive Index 1.567 – 1.590 Birefringence 0.005 – 0.009 Pleochroism Weak to distinct: blue and colourless to pale blue Lustre Vitreous Fracture Conchoidal to uneven Cleavage Indistinct Tenacity Brittle Colour Pale blue to blue-green Streak White Formula Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ Safe to Cleanse in Water Yes The hardness of 7.5 to 8 combined with indistinct cleavage makes Aquamarine one of the more durable gemstones available, better suited to everyday jewellery wear than many softer or more cleavage-prone stones. The hexagonal crystal system produces the characteristic long prismatic crystals with a hexagonal cross-section that make Aquamarine one of the most recognisable rough gemstone crystals. The pleochroism, showing blue along one axis and near-colourless to pale blue along another, is taken into account by gem cutters when orienting the stone for maximum colour face-up. The Beryl Structure and the Role of Iron The colour mechanism in Aquamarine is one of the better-studied in gemology and worth understanding in some detail because it explains both the colour and the standard heat treatment applied to most commercial material. Beryl has a cyclosilicate structure in which six-membered rings of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra are stacked in columns, creating channels running through the crystal along the hexagonal axis. These channels are large enough to accommodate water molecules, alkali metal ions, and other species, and their presence contributes to the chemical complexity and colour variety of the Beryl family. Iron ions can occupy two different structural sites within the Beryl framework: the tetrahedral sites normally occupied by silicon, and the octahedral sites normally occupied by aluminium, and the colour produced differs depending on which site the iron occupies and in what oxidation state. Fe²⁺ in the structural channels produces the blue of Aquamarine through an intervalence charge transfer process between adjacent iron ions. Fe³⁺ substituting into the aluminium octahedral sites produces yellow. When both are present simultaneously the blue and yellow combine to produce the green colour seen in unheated material from many localities. Heating Aquamarine to approximately 400 to 450 degrees Celsius converts the Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺ through a reduction reaction, removing the yellow component and leaving only the blue, producing the purer, more commercially desirable blue colour. This treatment is stable, permanent, and universally accepted in the gem trade. Understanding this chemistry explains why Aquamarine from some localities, where the iron is predominantly already in the Fe²⁺ state, is naturally blue without treatment, while material from other localities requires heating to achieve the same colour. It also explains why overheating can bleach the colour entirely by driving out the iron-bearing species from the structural channels. Aquamarine Within the Beryl Family The Beryl family is one of the most colour-diverse in gemology, and placing Aquamarine within it provides important context for both its chemistry and its value. Emerald is the green chromium and vanadium-bearing variety and is the most commercially valuable member of the family, with fine Colombian Emerald commanding prices that exceed those of comparable Ruby and Sapphire. The inclusion-rich nature of most natural Emerald, a consequence of the hydrothermal formation conditions that produce the finest colour, means that the trade applies a different clarity standard to Emerald than to other gemstones, accepting inclusions described as the jardin, or garden, of the stone as characteristic rather than as defects. Morganite is the pink to peach manganese-coloured variety, found notably in Brazil, Madagascar, and Afghanistan, and has grown significantly in commercial popularity in recent decades as a rose gold jewellery stone. Its colour can overlap with the pink-orange of Imperial Topaz and with pink Tourmaline in the commercial market. Heliodor is the yellow iron-bearing variety, its colour produced by Fe³⁺ rather than the Fe²⁺ of Aquamarine, which is the chemical inverse of the heat treatment relationship discussed above. Red Beryl from the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah is among the rarest gemstones known, with fine specimens commanding prices comparable to the finest Emerald. Goshenite, the colourless variety, is the purest form and was historically used as a lens and mirror material before optical glass became widely available. All Beryl varieties share the same fundamental hexagonal structure and the same hardness, specific gravity range, and optical properties. The colour differences arise entirely from different trace element substitutions within the same crystal framework, making Beryl one of the clearest illustrations in mineralogy of how a single mineral species can produce the full visual spectrum through trace element chemistry. Aquamarine in History The human relationship with Aquamarine reaches back to classical antiquity and has remained continuous through to the present day, making it one of the more historically well-documented gemstones. Ancient Greek and Roman texts describe Aquamarine and attribute to it connections to the sea and to the god Neptune. Sailors in the ancient Mediterranean carried Aquamarine as a talisman for safe passage, a tradition that persisted through the medieval period and into the age of exploration. The physical resemblance of the pale blue stone to clear seawater made the association immediate and intuitive across multiple cultures independently. In the Roman world, Aquamarine was used in carved intaglios, as a lens for optical purposes in early spectacles, and as a component of elaborate jewellery. Pliny the Elder describes it in his Natural History, noting its connection to the sea and its value as a gemstone. Medieval European lapidaries consistently list Aquamarine among the significant gemstones and attribute various protective and communicative properties to it. The discovery of the major Brazilian deposits in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries dramatically increased global supply and established Brazil’s position as the world’s leading Aquamarine producer, a position it retains today. The largest Aquamarine crystal ever found, the Minas Gerais crystal from which the Dom Pedro gemstone was cut, weighed approximately 110 kilograms before faceting, a scale that gives some sense of the extraordinary crystal growth possible in the Brazilian pegmatite environment. Care and Handling Aquamarine is among the more robust gemstones available for both collection and jewellery use. Its hardness of 7.5 to 8 provides excellent resistance to everyday scratching, and the indistinct cleavage means it does not split preferentially under impact in the way that more cleavage-prone stones such as Topaz do. These properties make it well suited to rings, bracelets, and other high-wear jewellery settings with reasonable care. Water cleansing is safe. Aquamarine has no soluble components and does not react with water under normal conditions. Clean with mild soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and dry completely. Ultrasonic cleaning is generally safe for clean, inclusion-free material but should be avoided for heavily included specimens where vibration could propagate through existing fractures. The primary long-term care consideration is light and heat exposure. The iron-based colour of Aquamarine is generally stable under normal conditions, but sustained intense UV exposure or heat above several hundred degrees can affect the colour over very long periods. Under normal wearing and display conditions this is not a practical concern, but prolonged display in direct strong sunlight over many years should be avoided for the finest coloured material. Traditional Associations While this guide focuses on the mineralogy and science of Aquamarine, it carries one of the most consistent and cross-cultural sets of traditional associations of any gemstone, connected almost universally to the sea, to calm, to communication, and to protection in travel. In chakra work it is associated with the Throat Chakra. These associations are rooted in deep cultural tradition rather than scientific properties. For a full exploration of how to work with Aquamarine spiritually, see our dedicated spiritual guide. Summary Aquamarine is the iron-coloured blue variety of Beryl, a beryllium cyclosilicate formed in granitic pegmatites where the rare element beryllium becomes concentrated through magmatic differentiation. Its colour, produced by Fe²⁺ ions within the hexagonal channel structure of the crystal, is stable, often heat-treated to remove unwanted green or yellow components, and among the most consistently valued pale blues in the gemstone world. From ancient Mediterranean sailors to the record-breaking Dom Pedro Aquamarine in the Smithsonian, it has maintained a continuous presence in human culture for over two thousand years. Durable, water-safe, and available in a range of qualities from accessible tumbled material to exceptional gem crystals, it is one of the most rewarding members of the Beryl family to collect and understand. Browse our full Aquamarine collection to find rough crystals, cut stones, and matrix specimens. As always, our inbox and DMs are open if you would like guidance or simply wish to explore further. Contact us Love, Laura Further Reading Blue Kyanite: One Mineral, Two Hardnesses, and a Billion Year Story Labradorite: The Stone the Inuit Called Frozen Aurora Rubellite Tourmaline: The Pink-Red Gem of the Tourmaline Family Chrysoprase: The Nickel-Coloured Chalcedony A Beginner’s Guide to Mineral Physical Properties A Beginner’s Guide to Mineral Optical Properties

on Mar 23 2025

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Green Fuchsite: The Green Crystal That Could Have Been Red

What is Green Fuchsite? Mineral Group: Silicate | Category: Mica | Formula: K(Al,Cr)₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂ | Hardness: 2 – 2.5 (Mohs) Green Fuchsite is a chromium-bearing variety of Muscovite, one of the most abundant and widely distributed members of the mica mineral group. It is distinguished from common Muscovite by the substitution of chromium for a proportion of the aluminium within the crystal structure, a substitution that produces the characteristic green coloration ranging from pale mint through to deep emerald. Without chromium, Muscovite is colourless to pale grey or silvery. The addition of chromium transforms it entirely, producing one of the more vivid greens available within the mica family. The mineral was named after Johann Nepomuk von Fuchs, a nineteenth century German mineralogist and chemist, rather than from the German word for fox as sometimes stated. The name honours his contributions to mineralogy rather than describing any property of the mineral itself. It was first described from specimens associated with the Fuchsstein locality, and the naming follows the standard mineralogical convention of honouring significant figures in the field. Green Fuchsite belongs to the phyllosilicate subgroup of silicate minerals, a group defined by a layered sheet structure of silicon and oxygen tetrahedra. This layered architecture is directly responsible for the mica group’s most characteristic physical properties: the perfect basal cleavage that allows micas to split into extremely thin, flexible sheets, and the elastic tenacity that allows those sheets to bend and spring back rather than breaking. Formation and Geological Context Green Fuchsite forms primarily in metamorphic environments, particularly in chromium-rich schists and phyllites produced by the regional metamorphism of ultramafic or mafic rocks that originally contained chromium-bearing minerals. As these rocks are subjected to heat and pressure during metamorphism, existing minerals recrystallise and new mineral assemblages develop. Where the bulk rock chemistry provides both the potassium and aluminium required for mica formation and the chromium needed for the green coloration, Fuchsite crystallises as part of the metamorphic mineral assemblage. Fuchsite also occurs in hydrothermal veins associated with chromium-rich geological environments, and as an alteration product of chromite and other chromium minerals. In these settings it forms through the reaction of chromium-bearing fluids with potassium and aluminium-rich host rocks at relatively low temperatures. The mineral is often found in close association with Ruby, corundum coloured red by chromium, in metamorphic rocks from Tanzania, India, and other localities. Both minerals owe their colour to chromium substitution, and their co-occurrence in the same rock reflects the shared chromium-rich chemistry of their formation environment. The combination of green Fuchsite matrix with red Ruby crystals, sometimes with black Amphibole, is the material known as Ruby in Zoisite or Anyolite from Tanzania, though strictly speaking the green mineral in some of these specimens may be Fuchsite rather than Zoisite, and careful mineralogical analysis is required to distinguish between them. Major sources of Green Fuchsite include Brazil, India, Russia, Zimbabwe, and parts of southern Africa. Brazilian material is among the most widely available commercially and produces the rich, saturated green used extensively in tumbled stones, carvings, and decorative pieces. Key Physical Properties Property Detail Mineral Group Silicate (Phyllosilicate) Category Mica Crystal System Monoclinic Hardness 2 – 2.5 Mohs Specific Gravity 2.76 – 2.85 Refractive Index 1.52 – 1.53 Birefringence 0.003 – 0.008 Pleochroism Weak Lustre Vitreous to pearly, silky in fibrous forms Fracture Uneven Cleavage Perfect basal in one direction Tenacity Elastic Colour Pale mint to deep emerald green Streak White Formula K(Al,Cr)₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂ Safe to Cleanse in Water No The elastic tenacity of Fuchsite is one of its most physically distinctive properties and is shared across the mica group. Unlike brittle minerals that fracture when bent, or malleable metals that deform permanently, mica sheets are genuinely elastic: they flex under pressure and return to their original form when released. This behaviour arises directly from the layered sheet structure, where the individual silicate layers are bonded to one another by relatively weak interlayer forces that allow flexing without breaking the stronger bonds within the sheets themselves. The hardness of 2 to 2.5 applies perpendicular to the cleavage planes. Along the cleavage direction the resistance to scratching is even lower, and the mineral can be marked with a fingernail. This directional variation in effective hardness is common in minerals with strong layered or chain structures. The Role of Chromium in Producing Green The green of Fuchsite is produced by chromium in the Cr³⁺ oxidation state substituting for aluminium within the octahedral sites of the mica crystal structure. Chromium is a transition metal whose outer electron configuration is highly sensitive to the geometry of the surrounding oxygen atoms. In the specific structural environment of the Muscovite octahedral site, Cr³⁺ absorbs strongly in the red and blue-violet parts of the visible spectrum, leaving green wavelengths to dominate. This is the same chromium ion in the same Cr³⁺ oxidation state that produces the red of Ruby and the green of Emerald, yet it creates distinctly different colours in each mineral. The difference arises entirely from the structural environment: the geometry of the oxygen atoms surrounding the chromium ion differs between the corundum structure of Ruby, the beryl structure of Emerald, and the mica structure of Fuchsite, and these geometrical differences shift the precise wavelengths absorbed, producing red, green, and green respectively but with noticeably different tonal qualities in each case. The depth of green in any Fuchsite specimen is directly proportional to the chromium concentration. Pale specimens contain less chromium, deeper specimens more. The chromium content in Fuchsite can range from a fraction of a percent to several percent by weight in the most intensely coloured material. Fuchsite Within the Mica Family The mica group is one of the most mineralogically diverse within the phyllosilicate class, encompassing dozens of species that share the same fundamental layered sheet structure but differ in their interlayer cations, octahedral occupancy, and resulting physical and optical properties. Muscovite is the most common mica and the parent species of Fuchsite. It is a potassium aluminium mica, colourless to pale silvery or grey, found in granites, pegmatites, and metamorphic rocks worldwide. Fuchsite is simply Muscovite with chromium substituting for some of the aluminium, and the two grade into each other continuously as chromium content varies. Biotite is a dark brown to black iron and magnesium-bearing mica, common in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Lepidolite is a lithium-bearing mica, typically lavender to pink, found in lithium-rich pegmatites and valued both as a collector mineral and as a lithium ore. Phlogopite is a magnesium-rich mica ranging from colourless to brown, found primarily in metamorphosed dolomites and ultramafic rocks. Paragonite is a sodium analogue of Muscovite. Zinnwaldite is an iron and lithium-bearing mica found in tin-bearing granites and greisens. All share the characteristic perfect basal cleavage, elastic tenacity, and silky to pearly lustre of the mica group. Fuchsite sits within this family as one of the most visually distinctive varieties due to its chromium-driven green, which sets it apart from the predominantly grey, brown, and black tones of the more common mica species. Fuchsite and Ruby: A Geological Partnership The association between Fuchsite and Ruby deserves specific attention because it is one of the more visually striking and geologically instructive mineral combinations available to collectors. Both minerals owe their colour to chromium in the Cr³⁺ state. Both form in chromium-rich metamorphic environments. Their co-occurrence in the same rock is therefore not coincidental but a direct expression of the shared chromium-rich chemistry of the geological environment in which both crystallised. The green of the Fuchsite and the red of the Ruby are produced by the same element behaving differently in two different crystal structures, making a combined specimen a vivid illustration of how crystal structure controls colour independently of chemistry. Specimens combining green Fuchsite matrix with red Ruby crystals are found in India, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania, among other localities. The Indian material in particular, from the Rajasthan and Odisha regions, has produced some of the most visually dramatic examples of this combination and is widely collected. The contrast between the deep green groundmass and the red corundum crystals creates specimens that are both scientifically instructive and immediately visually compelling. Care and Handling Green Fuchsite requires careful handling due to its very low hardness, perfect cleavage, and sensitivity to water. At hardness 2 to 2.5 it is among the softer minerals regularly encountered in collections and will scratch with minimal pressure. Store separately from all harder minerals with soft padding, and avoid surfaces that could abrade the face of polished pieces. Water should be avoided. Mica minerals in general are sensitive to moisture, which can work into the cleavage planes and cause the layers to separate or the surface to degrade over time. Even humid storage environments can affect the surface quality of Fuchsite specimens over extended periods. Clean only with a soft dry brush or cloth and keep in a dry, stable environment. The perfect basal cleavage means that mechanical stress in the wrong direction can cause sheet separation. Handle massive Fuchsite pieces with general care and avoid dropping. Thin scaly or platy specimens are particularly vulnerable to cleavage damage and should be stored in padded, stable mounts rather than loose in trays with other pieces. Traditional Associations While this guide focuses on the science of Green Fuchsite, it is valued in spiritual and mindful practices for its associations with harmony, emotional healing, and connection to the natural world. In chakra work it is associated with the Heart Chakra, and it is commonly used in practices focused on balance, self-love, and gentle energetic restoration. These associations are rooted in cultural and traditional use rather than scientific properties. For a full exploration of how to work with Green Fuchsite spiritually, see our dedicated spiritual guide. Summary Green Fuchsite is a chromium-bearing variety of Muscovite mica whose vivid green coloration is the direct expression of chromium substitution within a layered silicate structure, the same element that simultaneously colours Ruby red and Emerald green in other mineral hosts. Its elastic tenacity, perfect basal cleavage, and low hardness are physical expressions of the mica group’s characteristic sheet architecture, while its frequent association with Ruby in chromium-rich metamorphic rocks makes it one of the more geologically instructive minerals available to collectors. Handle it with care, keep it dry, and it rewards observation with a quiet, lustrous green that reflects both the complexity of its formation chemistry and the elegance of its crystal structure. Browse our full Green Fuchsite collection to find raw specimens and Ruby in Fuchsite matrix pieces. As always, our inbox and DMs are open if you would like guidance or simply wish to explore further. Contact us Love, Laura Further Reading Malachite: From Ancient Egyptian Cosmetics to the Winter Palace Chrysoprase: The Nickel-Coloured Chalcedony That Has Decorated Palaces and Cathedrals for Three Thousand Years Lepidolite Mineral Guide Amazonite: The Feldspar That Was Never From the Amazon Understanding Pleochroism: How Crystal Structure Creates Colour Change in Gemstones Unakite: Mineral Guide Best Crystals for Self-Love: The Only List You’ll Need Heart Chakra Guide

on Feb 28 2025

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