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 Red Beryl 

 Red Beryl is the rarest form of beryl, other varieties of which include emeralds and

aquamarines. The only crystals suitable for faceting are found in the Wah Wah

 Mountains (the Violet Claims), near Beaver, Utah. Currently, this is the only place

in the world where gem quality Red Beryl is found.

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It is difficult to determine which of the fabulous gem materials found on earth is th

rarest. Certainly, red beryl from the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah would be near the

top of any rare gemstone list. In fact, red beryl ( a beryllium silicate colored by

 Mn3+) is so rare, most people don't even know that it exists. Gem beryl occurs in a

varitey of colors; green (emerald), light blue (aquamarine), yellow (heliodor), pink,

(morganite), and very rarely, a deep red with no accepted common name. Although

red beryl was first reported almost 100 years ago, from a deposit in the Thomas

 Range of Utah, it wasn't until the late 1950's that Lamar Hodges discovered thedeposit now known as the Ruby Violet Mine . The red beryl crystals occur in fissure

in a host rhyolite. The gemmy crystals have been found in an area measuring only

about 900 x 1900 meters. In 1976 the Harris family of Delta Utah purchased mining

rights to the property and produced a small but steady supply of gem quality red 

beryl. In 1994 Kennecott Exploration Co. (KEC) entered into an option agreement

with the mine owners to purchase the mine and surrounding claims. KEC performe

an extensive exploration

 program of core drilling and under-ground bulk sampling t

confirm the extent and richnes

of the red beryl deposit. That

 study showed the deposit woul

 yield approximately 1.25 carat

of red beryl per ton of ore.

 Assuming a faceting yield of 

10%, one ton of ore would yiel

0.125 carats of finished 

 gemstones. Other companies

later evaluated the possibility o

large scale mining and 

marketing of red beryl from th

 Ruby Violet Mine, but that ha

not yet happened. The Harris

 group once again controls the

mine, and plans to continuetheir small scale operation. Th

red beryl that is produced is

 sold as both mineral specimen

and faceted gemstones. The average weight of cut stones is about 0.20 carats. Only

10% of the cut gemstones exceed 1 carat in weight. To date the largest faceted red 

beryl weighs 4.5 carats. A number of articles have been written about the history an

 geology of the Ruby Violet red beryl deposit. If you would like further information

Red Beryl on Rhyolite Matrix from the

Ruby Violet Mine, Wah Wah Mountains,Utah 

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 see "Red Beryl from Utah: A Review and Update," by James E. Shigley, Timothy J

Thompson, and Jeffrey D. Keith; Gems & Gemology, 2003, V39, pgs. 302-313.

 Red Beryl was first noted in Utah in 1905, in the Thomas Range in Juab County,

Utah. The small crystals were found in a rhyolite host rock and were translucent bu

rarely gemmy. It wasn't until the late 1950's that larger, better quality crystals were

 found in the Wah Wah Mountains in Beaver County. Consistent mining of the Red Beryl in the Wah Wah Mountains has only taken place since 1978.

 Red Beryl occurs as hexagonal crystals which is typical of beryl. The refractive

index is 1.564-1.574 and the specific gravity is 2.66-2.70. It's primary chemical 

composition is Be3Al2SiO3, but there are traces of many other elements. A more

detailed examination including geological, chemical, physical and gemological 

information can be found in the magazine Gems and Gemology, Volume XX, Winte

1984.

 Red Beryl is thought to have formed along fractures, in cavities or within the host rhyolite from a high-temperature gas or vapor phase released during the latter 

stages of cooling and crystallization of the rhyolite magma. Rhyolites ordinarily lac

 gem minerals and beryls of any sort is extremely uncommon, therefore the presence

of Red Beryl suggests some unusual conditions for gemstone formation.

 Red Beryl crystals range in color from orange-red to purplish-red with medium

tones. The largest crystal yet recovered was 14mm x 34mm and weighed 

approximately 54 carats. The average faceted gemstone is .15 carats and the larges

 faceted gemstone to date weighed 8.0 carats.

 Red Beryl description and images provided by Tim Schmanski.

Multiple Red Beryl crystals on Rhyolite matrix  # RB03

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Rare, multiple Red Beryl crystals, on Rhyolite matrix! 

This very colorful, and attractive cabinet specimen features several well 

formed crystals of Red Beryl on a snowy white Rhyolite matrix. Although they are smaller in size, you can see in the pictures that the crystal quality is: quitesharp; very gemmy and transparent/translucent; full of luster with the classic 

gooseberry color! 

 Although I did see some Red Beryl specimens at the previous Denver &Tucson Shows, I did not see any such as this one, with multiple crystals on

matrix. I acquired this piece several years ago.

The latest news on the Violet mine is that the lower pit which produced the

better quality specimens (like the ones featured here on my site), is now defunct. Although the upper pit is still some what active, the quality does not 

compare to those previously mined from the lower pit. This makes good quality specimens much tougher to find.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in

Washington, D.C. refers to the Red Beryl it has on display as:

"The Rarest Beryls of them All"

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These come from only one specific location on the entire planet earth:Violet Claims Mine, Wah Wah MountainsBeaver County (near Milford), Utah, USA 

Measures in cm: 7.0 x 4.5 x 2.5Crystal size in cm: 0.4Multiple Red 

Multiple Red Beryl crystals on Rhyolite matrix  # RB04

Click on photos to enlarge

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Three Superb Red Beryl crystals on Rhyolite matrix! 

This very colorful, and attractive small cabinet specimen featuresone larger, and 2 smaller Red Beryl crystals on a snowy white

Rhyolite matrix. As you can see in the photographs, the crystal quality is: quite sharp; very gemmy and transparent/translucent; full 

of luster with the classic gooseberry color! All the terminations areclean and sharp.

 Although I did see some Red Beryl specimens at the previousDenver & Tucson Shows, I did not see any such as this one, withmultiple crystals on matrix. I acquired this piece a couple of years

ago.

The latest news on the Violet mine is that the lower pit which

 produced the better quality specimens (like the ones featured hereon my site), is now defunct. Although the upper pit is still some what active, the quality does not compare to those previously mined fromthe lower pit. This makes good quality specimens much tougher to

find.

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Three varieties of beryl: morganite, aquamarine and heliodor