Eos Silver

Chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek word for gold, namely “chrysos” and “beryllos” for beryl. Chrysoberyls in pure form are transparent and colourless. It is inclusions of chromium and iron that cause gemstone colouration to occur. This ranges from golden yellow to yellowy green, green and on through to reddish brown specimens. Its special brilliance is due to its high degree of hardness reaching 8.5 on the Mohs scale. It is therefore the fourth hardest mineral behind diamond, moissanite and corundum.
Chrysoberyl has been used mainly for jewellery purposes ever since ancient times. Two of the most popular varieties are alexandrite and chrysoberyl cat’s eye.
Because of the fact that most of the stones do not actually satisfy the high quality requirements of the jewellery market, this means that clear and transparent stones are relatively scarce.