Quality and Price
Beryl Quality
Beryl is known for its exceptional range of colors, vitreous luster, brilliance, and elegance. It is one of the hardest gem materials. The quality and saturation of color have a great impact on the value of a gem. As discussed, Beryl is a mineral and includes many gemstones in the family. However, every member of the Beryl family has their respective countries of origin, color, clarity factors and cut which have been mentioned below in length. Thus, while choosing a Beryl Gemstone, one should remember that Beryl is known for its prismatic crystal appearance. The colorless Beryl can be absolutely transparent while the coloured ones are translucent to opaque. Sometimes Beryl exhibits discoloration upon heating or when exposed to sunlight. The Beryl gemstones are very hard in nature and have a Mohs index of 7.5-8.
Certain parameters determine the quality of the Beryl Family and based on these parameters, the Beryl’s value, quality, and authenticity can be evaluated. The parameters include:
Origin: Beryl gemstones from reputed origins are regarded as having the finest and the best quality.
Green Beryl - Emerald
- Panna mines have been discovered in Colombia, Zambia, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, United States and Australia. Being highly saturated and perfectly balanced in green and blue tints, Colombian Emerald is considered to be superior to other origins, followed by Zambian Emerald. Brazilian Emerald is dark and thus less desirable.
Blue Beryl - Aquamarine
- Aquamarine mines have been discovered in Brazil, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, U.S.A, Madagascar, India and Burma. Due to the brilliant blue hue and exceptional clarity, Brazil’s Santa Maria Aquamarine gemstone sourced from the popular Santa Maria de Itabira mine is considered the most sought-after variety. The Aquamarines resourced from the mines of Mozambique (called Santa Maria Africana Aquamarine) and Brazil (called Espirito Aquamarines) are other popular origin varieties found in fine color and clarity. Sri Lankan Aquamarines also hold a fair reputation in the gemstone industry because of their high transparency.
Pink Beryl
- Morganite - Brazil, Madagascar, Nigeria, Namibia, Pakistan, Mozambique, Afghanistan and the United States are some of the important Morganite mining locations. Traditionally, the Madagascar Morganite and Nigerian Morganite are considered most desirable because of their high saturated and rosy pink colour. However, the Brazilian Morganite gems are more towards the peachy pink shade and are regarded as the next most popular choice.
Yellow - Golden Beryl - Heliodor
- Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Ukraine, and Namibia are some important mining locations that resource gem-quality Heliodor rough. Amongst all these origins, Heliodor from Ukraine is considered to be the finest quality ever found.
Clarity: Clarity plays the foremost part while determining the quality of Beryl. Gemstones with no inclusions and fractures are the most desirable ones. Beryl’s durability ranges from fair to very good, the 7.5 - 8 Mohs hardness resist scratches.
Green Beryl - Emerald
Emeralds are known for containing three-phase inclusions – solid crystals, liquid films and gaseous bubbles, found less or more in almost all origins. Inclusions in Emeralds from the Chivor mine in Colombia often exist as pyrite, albite and needle-like growth tubes. Zambian Emeralds contain black dot-like specks and are usually color-zoned. An eye clean Emerald with bright-green color is highly rare and thus is exceptionally expensive.
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Blue Beryl - Aquamarine
Aquamarines are graded as Type – I gemstones on clarity standards because they are typically clean. But sometimes they contain ‘fingerprints’, spiky cavities, two and three-phase inclusions or liquid-filled parallel tubes that hamper the transparency and luster. The size, density and location of these inclusions often determine the clarity. As a rule, higher is the inclusion, lower is the quality. But exceptions do exist, for example, a star Aquamarine is a rare variety valued for the star-like effect that appears on its surface in light due to the presence of microscopic inclusions.
Pink Beryl - Morganite
Morganites are majorly used for jewelry, therefore, eye clean pieces are highly preferred. In the market, one can comfortably find highly lustrous and clear Morganite gemstones with minimum visible flaws. Therefore, any compromise on the Morganite clarity front is hardly required.
Yellow
- Golden Beryl - Heliodor - Clarity in Heliodor mineral is broadly judged by the brightness and volume of inclusions found inside the crystal. It is categorized as a Type I clarity gemstone and is expected to be nearly eye-clean. The best-quality Heliodor gemstone is usually transparent and inclusion-free whereas the average quality pieces may contain few inclusions visible from the unaided eyes. Tubes, liquid crystal, rutile needles and planes of small two-phase inclusions etc are some common types of inclusions that can be found in a Heliodor crystal.
Cut: Beryl gemstone can be cut and styled in different shapes such as round, oval, rectangle, pear, Emerald, trilliant, marquise, baroque, etc. A clean-cut Beryl gemstone is desirable and often sold for a higher price. Among the Beryl Family, Aquamarine prices depend on depth and purity of color and clarity.
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Green Beryl - Emerald
- All Emeralds have significant fractures which makes them more brittle than corundum. A cutter must design the cut to minimize the effect of these fractures on the finished gemstone otherwise the fractures will make Emerald stone vulnerable to damage during careless daily wear. The faceted vulnerable corners of Emerald provide a comparatively safe place for prongs and protect the stone from any damage. Also, the cut should be designed in such a way that it maximizes the effect of hue, tone, and saturation.
Blue Beryl -
Aquamarine - The cutting style picked by the gemstone cutter depends majorly upon the quality of the raw Beryl gemstone.
Pink Beryl -
Morganite - The cutting style picked by the gemstone cutter depends majorly upon the quality of the raw Morganite gemstone. The best quality Morganite rough stones are mostly cut in standard shapes like round, oval, pear and cushion, some fascinating cuts like heart, trillion, etc. The lovely Morganite cabochons (non-faceted, polished) are often formed using the less transparent rough stone.
Yellow -
Golden Beryl - Heliodor - When cut precisely, Heliodor stone glows like a tiny light bulb. So, to bring the best colour and brilliance, gem cutters style raw Heliodor into beautiful faceted gems (in oval, round, cushion cut etc) and cabochons (polished, non-faceted gems). As far as cutting style is concerned, what appeals to the eye is, of course, the best choice.
Color: Beryl is available in a plethora of colors and range from colorless to black. However, each member of the Beryl family has its own color to offer.
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Green Beryl - Emerald -
Color of Emerald weighs pretty much above every other quality factor. The value of Emerald increases further if it is richly saturated and consistently colored. Natural Emeralds from Colombia are considered to be of the finest color quality.
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Blue Beryl -
Aquamarine - The presence of iron impurities in Aquamarine gemstone is what contributes the brilliant blue color to Aquamarine crystal. The deep and bright blue Aquamarine is always more valuable than pale and dull ones. However, the presence of yellow, green or brown tint can sometimes interfere with the prices of high-quality gemstones.
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Yellow -
Golden Beryl - Heliodor - Most of the natural Heliodor crystals are accented with crisp yellow colour with a slight green tinge. A natural Heliodor with a good balance of yellow and green is considered most desirable by business people. In contrast, the presence of a brownish tinge often deteriorates the quality of a natural Heliodor Beryl crystal.
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Pink Beryl -
Morganite - Morganite occurs in different shades ranging from pure pink to subtle lavender, peachy pink, bright fuchsias and violet pink. The bright pink Morganite stones are increasingly rare and are highly desired by gem collectors and jewelry houses. However, with the rising trend of peach, the Pink Morganites with a tinge of peach have started gaining popularity in the gemstone industry.
Beryl Prices
Beryls prices range differently for each gemstone. Each gemstone's prices are determined by collectively assessing quality factors such as Origin, the intensity of the Color, Clarity, Cut, Carat Weight, Certification, Rarity, and Treatment. Based on the above-mentioned quality combination, the price of Beryl gemstones is as follows:
- Green Beryl - Emerald Brazil price ranges from 800 INR ($ 10.54) per carat to 10,000 INR ($ 136.77) per carat.
- Blue Beryl - Aquamarine price varies from 700 INR ($ 9.57) per carat to 15,000 INR ($ 205.15) per carat.
- Pink Beryl - Morganite remains high in demand and its prices begin from 2,500 INR ($ 34.19) per carat to 12,000 INR ($ 164.12) per carat and even more.
- Yellow - Golden Beryl - Heliodor price varies steeply and can range from 1500 INR ($ 20.52) per carat to 4,000 INR ($ 54.71) per carat.