TERRIUM — A mineralogy cabinet


Berilo Esmeralda

Berilo is a mineral with formula Be₃Al₂(Si₆O₁₈). This specimen comes from Panjshir, Afghanistan.

Berilo Esmeralda from Panjshir, Afghanistan — Terrium

Description

Elongate prismatic emerald crystal, blue-green and translucent, with pronounced longitudinal striations. Grows partly free on a pale altered quartz matrix, with scattered small black crystals.

History of this specimen

Large emerald piece, 447 ct.

About Berilo

Green variety of beryl, coloured by traces of chromium and vanadium.

About the locality

Panjshir Valley in the Afghan Hindu Kush. Historic high-mountain emerald district, with artisanal mining and difficult conditions. Emeralds grow in hydrothermal veins with quartz, calcite, pyrite and black tourmaline. Since the 1980s, Panjshir has held a place of its own among the world’s major emerald localities.

Technical data

Catalogue No.
0415
Internal reference
T0022
Composition
Be₃Al₂(Si₆O₁₈)
Name
Berilo
Variety
Esmeralda
Province
Panjshir
Country
Afghanistan
Size (cm)
7.6 × 4.2 × 3
Weight
89.4 g
Etymology
Okenite is named in honour of the German naturalist Lorenz Oken (1779–1851) for his contribution to nineteenth-century science. It was first described in 1828.
Quality
Buena
Value trend
Estable

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