Kathryn Bonanno Patrizzi PG, FGA
Gemological and Jewelry
Consultant for Antiquorum
As many of you know who have read my articles and will hopefully remember, in the world of gemology, gemstones are divided into mineral species, or families.
There can be many different varieties of gemstones found within the same mineral species, but while these siblings may be found in different colors, they are basically the same, having the same chemical composition and optical properties.
These color differences are usually due to trace elements, such as iron, chromium, vanadium, titanium, and so on, which are found in minute quantities and which do not substantially change the chemical composition.
A good example is the mineral family of corundum – ruby (red), sapphire (blue), and fancy colored sapphires,such as the yellow, green, orange, orangey-pink (padparadscha), and pink (refer to my Vox articles, “The Magnificent Sapphires of Kashmir”, Summer 2002, and “Corundum -

The Magic of Ruby and Sapphire”, Winter, 2001-2002, and C.R “Cap” Beesley’s “Kashmir Ruby”, Winter, 2003).
Please note that not all gem species have these various sub-species; for example, peridot, or olivine, is a gem species, but it will only occur in various shades of green. Another gem species with many interesting siblings is that of BERYL, one variety of which is the purpose of this article.
You are probably most familiar with 2 members of the beryl family – aquamarine, the blue to greenish-blue variety, and emerald, the green variety. This mineral also occurs in yellow, called golden beryl or heliodor, pink, called morganite, and there is a colorless variety called goshenite as well as another green variety that is not considered

Round, faceted red beryl weighing 1.08 carats.
Photo courtesy of Red Beryl, Inc.
Map of southwestern Utah and mining area. (Adapted from Miller,
1966, Gems and Gemology, Winter, 1984)
emerald, but “green beryl”. However, the rarest of all the beryl is the RED BERYL. Obviously, this variety is red – intense “raspberry” red, although they can vary from an orangey-red to this purplish-red. When I began studying gemology decades ago, this rare gem was called “bixbite”, and I still call it such, but since there is another, completely different mineral
called bixbyite, this term is not always used today. There are many in the gemological world that call this red variety, “red emerald” and certainly this beautiful red gem deserves to have a name, and not just the generic title of “red beryl” or the rather sterile, archaic name of bixbite. There are many similarities to its emerald sibling, so I do not reject the term “red
emerald”, even though the coloration is not due to any of the same trace elements.
One of the amazing facts surrounding this beautiful red stone is that it has only been found in the United States, and more precisely, only in the southwestern part of Utah.
When one thinks of all the gemstone species found today, and how most of these are found throughout the world in a multitude of mining locations, it is astounding to think that this gemstone comes from only one location. Minute examples have been found in other locations, such as Mexico, but no other location has produced material that is large enough to fashion into cut gemstones.

The first gems were found at the turn of the 20th century in the Thomas Range, but since the 1950s, the fine gem quality, transparent crystals all come from the Wah Wah Mountains, in the Violet Claims. These gemmy crystals do not occur in large sizes; cut stones of over 1 carat are considered big, and the occasional cut stones of over 2 carats are quite unusual. Antiquorum sold a magnificent gem in 1995 that weighed 1.79 carats and I believe it was

the finest I have ever seen, and at the same time, offered the largest cut red beryl of all time, weighing over 8 carats, the previous record belonging to a Scottish gemologist owning a gem of over 4 carats.
(Enlarged)
A large emerald-cut red beryl
weighing 2.22 carats (typically included).
Photos courtesy of Red Beryl, Inc.
(Enlarged)
A very clean, fine red beryl
weighing 1.21 carats.
Photos courtesy of Red Beryl, Inc.
Red beryl crystals in matrix. Photo courtesy of Red Beryl, Inc.

These red beryls are similar to their siblings in that their physical properties fall within the properties for the species, however there are some small differences. The specific gravity and refractive indices are slightly lower than the other beryls, but still within the range for beryl (at the low end for both, depending on the stones); this appears to be due to the fact that they are low in common alkali elements, K, Na, Li, compared to the other beryls. In fact, they have a very unusual chemistry, hosting a whole array of trace elements not seen in other beryls. Bixbites from the Thomas Range seem to get their color from traces of manganese, as is probably the case with those from the Wah Wah Mountains, similar to the pink beryl, morganite. Like their siblings,
they do not exhibit any fluorescence under long or short wave ultra-violet radiation.

The fact that they are found in a rhyolite host, (a volcanic rock), which is not associated with beryl, and the complicated geology of the area explains their rarity and the fact that these magnificent gemstones are anomalies, or freaks of nature, and therefore, not repeated in the rest of the world. There are many interesting
mineralogical characteristics which I will not try to attempt to explain in this article, but for further information, please refer to the article on red beryl in Gems & Gemology, Winter, 1984

Many of the inclusions found in these red gems are similar to its green sibling, emerald. Bixbites often have
a lot of internal stress, hence the “jardin” effect, which is usually associated with its famous sibling. “Fingerprint” type inclusions and partially healed fractures are common, as well. Two-phase inclusions are
also found. These inclusions render this stone similar to emerald; none of the other colored beryls have quite the same “look”; the other beryls are much “cleaner”, or freer of inclusions, and even the green beryl (not emerald) doesn’t have the same look. The bixbites may also have distinct color zoning, and may contain crystal
inclusions of quartz and bixbyite. It is not uncommon to have tiny bixbyite crystals, which may have acted as seed crystals during growth, and are found parallel to the C axis of the crystal. There can also be “comet tails” coming off of the fingerprints. Bixbite can also be enhanced by man, with the filling of fractures, just as
is the case with most emeralds; therefore, if you are purchasing one of these rare gems, make sure that you know if it has been filled or not, and decide accordingly.

Even if you are not fascinated by the internal inclusions of the red variety of the mineralogical species called beryl, the stone speaks for itself!! It has all the qualities a gem needs to have - beauty, durability, and rarity. This intense red jewel is rarer than ruby, and will most likely not show up on your best friend’s finger. Fine transparent gems are highly sought after, and whether mounted between diamonds, in rings, bracelets, pendants, or earrings, or an uncut crystal in the gem collector’s showcase, red beryl, or “red emerald” is destined to only a select few, and especially because of its rarity and beauty, makes it a prize for any avid gem enthusiast.