Emerald
  • What is it and where is it formed?  Emerald is the birthstone for May.  It is a green mineral called Beryl.  It is formed in metamorphic rocks.
  • How and where is it mined?  Emeralds are mined using underground mining and surface open pit mining.  Click here to find out more about emerald mining.  Emeralds are found in Colombia, Zimbabwe, Brazil, Zambia, and Australia.  An emerald that weighed more than 1600 carats was mined in North Carolina.
  • What is it used for?  Emeralds are used for jewelry.
  • Interesting!
    • Chromium and iron give emeralds their green color.
    • Perfect emeralds cost more than diamonds.
    • Emeralds cost a lot of money to buy.  Some cost more than $100,000.
  • More Interesting Information:
    • Transparent, translucent, and opaque emeralds.  Transparent ones are worth more money.
    • There are a lot of superstitions about emeralds.  Some say they are good for the eyes and fix stomach problems.  Others think that it keeps evil away from you.
 OpaqueEmerald

Beryl Emerald
Mineral Characteristic What the
mineralogists say		 Kid's Guide:  What it REALLY means!
Chemical Symbol

Be3 Al2 Si6 O18

 It has oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and beryllium in it.
Color Green This stone can be found in many shades of green.
Streak White If you crushed this stone, the dust would be white.
Transparency Transparent to opaque You can see through some stones, but others are blurry or can’t be seen through at all.  The most valuable ones can be seen through. The top picture shows transparent, translucent, and opaque emeralds.
Luster Vitreous It shines like glass.
Cleavage Poor If you break this stone, it doesn’t split very evenly.
Fracture Conchoidal When it shatters, the edges are smooth.
Magnetism None It is not attracted to and will not attract a magnet.
Hardness 7.5 – 8

It is a very hard stone.  It can scratch glass.
Specific gravity 2.7 It is an average weight stone.  If you held it, it would seem about the right weight for the size of the stone.
Crystal Shape Hexagonal

Hexagonal