Beryl is the mineral species of emerald. Aquamarine and the other beryl colors belong to the same species.
In more detail
On our gemstone pages, emerald has a refractive index of 1.577 to 1.583 and a specific gravity of 2.72. It is 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, and its crystal system is hexagonal. These values vary a little from deposit to deposit. Not every green beryl is emerald.
On a grading report
LMHC wording prints '(natural) beryl' as the identification and 'emerald' as the species.
Related terms
- Emerald: Emerald is the green to bluish green variety of the mineral beryl. Chromium, vanadium or both cause its color.
- Green beryl: Green beryl is a green beryl that does not qualify as emerald. Its color is too weak, or iron rather than chromium or vanadium mainly causes it.
- Gem species: A gem species is a mineral with one chemical composition and one crystal structure, such as corundum, beryl or quartz.
- Gem variety: A variety is a subdivision of a gem species, usually by color. Ruby and sapphire are varieties of corundum, and emerald is a variety of beryl.
- Crystal system: A crystal system groups crystals by the symmetry of their atomic structure. Gemologists use seven: cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, trigonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic and triclinic.