Beryl is a beryllium aluminum silicate that crystallizes in characteristic hexagonal prisms, often with prominent vertical striations. While common beryl is opaque and used as an ore, gem-quality varieties such as emerald and aquamarine are highly prized by collectors for their intense, characteristic colors.
Is this beryl?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch beryl with a known reference. Beryl sits at Mohs 7.5-8 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Beryl leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Beryl typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, green, blue, yellow, pink, red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: hexagonal. Typical habit: prismatic crystals with flat terminations.
Often confused with
Beryl vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside beryl
Minerals reported to co-occur with beryl. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5-8
- Density
- 2.63-2.90 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Crystal habit
- Prismatic Crystals with Flat Terminations
- Cleavage
- Poor Basal
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Gemstone, Collector, Industrial Ore
- Host rock
- Granite Pegmatites, Hydrothermal Veins, Metamorphic Schists
- Typical price
- $10-100 for common crystals, thousands for high-quality gemstone varieties
Where rockhounds find beryl
107 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Colombia
- Brazil
- Pakistan
- Madagascar
- United States
U.S. states with beryl
Each link opens a state-specific list of mapped rockhounding spots that produce beryl.
- North Carolina14 spots
- Maine11 spots
- Georgia10 spots
- New Hampshire10 spots
- Connecticut8 spots
- Utah8 spots
- Massachusetts7 spots
- Colorado6 spots
Field-hunting tip
Look in granite pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, metamorphic schists country — that is the host setting where beryl typically forms. If you start seeing quartz, feldspar, mica in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a prismatic crystals with flat terminations habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in North Carolina, Maine, Georgia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find beryl on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
