chrysoberyl

chrys·o·ber·yl

C0342500 (krĭs′ə-bĕr′əl)n. A gray, green to yellow, or brown vitreous mineral, BeAl₂O₄, relatively rare and used as a gemstone.

[Latin chrȳsobēryllus, from Greek khrūsobērullos : khrūso-, chryso- + bērullos, beryl; see beryl.]

chrysoberyl

(ˈkrɪsəˌbɛrɪl) n (Minerals) a rare very hard greenish-yellow mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in orthorhombic crystalline form and occurring in coarse granite: used as a gemstone in the form of cat's eye and alexandrite. Formula: BeAl2O4

chrys•o•ber•yl

(ˈkrɪs əˌbɛr əl)

n. a green or yellow crystalline mineral, beryllium aluminate, BeAl₂O₄, sometimes used as a gem. [1350–1400; Middle English < Latin chrȳsoberyllus < Greek chrȳsobḗryllos; see chryso-, beryl]

Thesaurus

Noun

chrysoberyl - a rare hard yellow green mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in crystal form; used as a gemstoneatomic number 4, Be, beryllium, glucinium - a light strong brittle grey toxic bivalent metallic elementmineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical compositionalexandrite - a green variety of chrysoberyl used as a gemstoneopaque gem - a gemstone that is opaque

chrysoberyl

(krĭs`əbĕr'ĭl) [Gr.,=golden beryl], a beryllium aluminate used as a gem. It has a vitreous luster and is transparent to translucent. The more valuable cat's-eyecat's-eye,
gemstone that displays a thin band of reflected light on its surface when cut as a cabochon. Its name is derived from its supposed resemblance to the eye of a cat.
..... Click the link for more information. is a variety of chrysoberyl. Another variety, alexandrite, was first discovered in the Ural Mts. of Russia, on the birthday of Czar Alexander II, for whom it was named. It is remarkable in that it is green by daylight and raspberry red under artificial light. It was popular in imperial Russia, both because of its association with the czar and because red and green were the colors of the empire. It is now found chiefly in Sri Lanka and Brazil.

Chrysoberyl

a mineral of the subclass of multiple oxides, with the composition BeAl₂O₄. Chrysoberyl crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Small short-columnar crystals are common, and tabular crystals sometimes occur. Flattened twins and triplets are typical. The color is yellowish or yellowish green. The emerald-green, chromium-containing variety of chrysoberyl that appears red-violet in artificial light is called alexandrite (seeALEXANDRITE); the golden yellow variety exhibiting a bluish chatoyancy is called cymophane, or cat’s-eye. Chrysoberyl has a vitreous luster, a hardness of 8.5 on Mohs’ scale, and a density of 3,500–3,700 kg/m³.

Chrysoberyl is found in the form of large segregations together with muscovite and beryl in granitic pegmatites occurring in rocks with a high aluminum content. It is typical of beryl-bearing magnetite-containing skarns. It is associated with taaffeite and spinel in magnesian skarns. Chrysoberyl is also typical of fluoritic metasomatites. Alluvial deposits are found in Burma and Sri Lanka. Fluoritic metasomatites with chrysoberyl and phenakite that have a high BeO content may serve as beryllium ores. Translucent chrysoberyls with attractive colors, that is, alexandrite and cymophane, are gems of order, or class, I.

REFERENCES

Mineraly: Spravochnik, vol. 2, fasc. 3. Moscow, 1967.
Geneticheskie tipy gidrotermal’nykh mestorozhdenii berilliia. Moscow, 1975.

A. I. GINZBURG

chrysoberyl

[′kris·ə‚ber·əl] (mineralogy) BeAl₂O₄ A pale green, yellow, or brown mineral that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and is found most commonly in pegmatite dikes; used as a gem. Also known as chrysopal; gold beryl.

chrysoberyl

guards against evil spirits. [Gem Symbolism: Kunz, 65]See: Protection

chrysoberyl

chrys·o·ber·yl

chrysoberyl

chrys•o•ber•yl

chrysoberyl

chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl

REFERENCES

chrysoberyl

chrysoberyl

chrysoberyl

Words related to chrysoberyl

noun a rare hard yellow green mineral consisting of beryllium aluminate in crystal form

Related Words