What is the rarest chrysoberyl?

The rarest form of chrysoberyl is alexandrite, a gem that displays remarkable response to light. Under incandescent light, alexandrite appears red. However, when moved into sunlight, it becomes deep green. No other known gemstone displays such dramatic color-changing properties.

Is chrysoberyl a precious stone?

Chrysoberyl is a hard, tough, and durable gem. Although lacking the fire of other gemstones, Chrysoberyl in its various forms can be quite valuable. Most Chrysoberyl gems are yellow, though some are brown, green, or orange.

What gems are chrysoberyl?

Ordinary chrysoberyl is yellowish-green and transparent to translucent. When the mineral exhibits good pale green to yellow color and is transparent, then it is used as a gemstone. The three main varieties of chrysoberyl are: ordinary yellow-to-green chrysoberyl, cat’s eye or cymophane, and alexandrite.

How do you identify chrysoberyl?

Most specimens of chrysoberyl are nearly colorless or fall into the brown to yellow to green color range. Red specimens are occasionally found. Chrysoberyl often occurs in tabular or prismatic crystals with distinct striations (see photo below). It also occurs in twinned crystals with distinct star and rosette shapes.

What is yellow chrysoberyl?

Chrysoberyl is a yellow to greenish-yellow, transparent to translucent, semi-precious version of Alexandrite. Chrysoberyl, like Alexandrite, is a beryllium aluminum oxide. Chrysoberyl is one of the hardest minerals, falling just below corundum (ruby or sapphire), and diamond.

Why is chrysoberyl so expensive?

Due to its rarity, it’s one of the lesser known gemstones, and many gem traders do not have it. Chrysoberyl’s price will depend on its variety (alexandrite is usually very expensive), as well as carat weight and clarity, among other factors.

How common is chrysoberyl?

Chrysoberyl is the third-hardest frequently encountered natural gemstone and lies at 8.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, between corundum (9) and topaz (8). Chrysoberyl belongs to the orthorhombic crystal system, forming with tabular crystals in slender prisms.

What is the difference between chrysoberyl and alexandrite?

Alexandrite is a very rare and valuable variety of chrysoberyl that shows color change. However, not all color-change chrysoberyls have the classic range of colors that alexandrites show. Although these gems are uncommon and valuable in their own right, they are sometimes marketed misleadingly as alexandrites.

What is chrysoberyl good for?

Chrysoberyl brings the qualities of discipline and self control. It promotes concentration and the ability to learn, enabling the wearer to think clearly and far-sightedly. Chrysoberyl aligns the solar plexus and crown chakras. It opens the crown chakra and increases both spiritual and personal power.

Can alexandrite be yellow?

The color change in this material typically ranges from Green to Yellow, brownish Red to Purple, or yellow Green to blue Green. Other combinations are occasionally seen. These are outside the classic range.

What does chrysoberyl symbolize?

It brings the wearer a great clarity, keenness of perception, and most importantly, strength. The stone has the ability to give the wearer a certainty in decision making, incomparable to the power of any other gemstone. Chrysoberyl is also a powerful healing stone on the physical level.

Is chrysoberyl a quartz?

Other minerals and gemstones may also exhibit cymophane or cat’s eye effect, but Cymophane and Cat’s Eye when used alone are only describing the Chrysoberyl type. For example, Quartz that exhibits cat’s eye is known as Cat’s Eye Quartz (or Quartz Cat’s Eye), whereas Chrysoberyl Cat’s Eye is known simply as Cat’s Eye.