Emerald is the valuable bright green variety of the mineral beryl. It is often found in granites and pegmatites (rocks with coarse – very coarse grains).
The bright green colouring of emerald is due to the presence of chromium and vanadium. Pure beryl is colourless and can also turn blue/green or yellow/green due to the presence of iron. This colouring depends on the state of oxidation of the iron impurities.
Emerald crystals may form via hydrothermal processes where hot, hydrothermal fluids escape from magma deep in the earth’s crust and begin to cool in the fractures/cracks of previously existing bed rock. For this process to occur, the hydrothermal fluids must be rich in beryllium. The majority of emeralds mined in Columbia are formed via hydrothermal processes.
The other common way that emeralds are formed, are as pegmatite deposits. These form when molten magma rises and begins to cool. Certain minerals form faster than others as the magma cools, so the remaining solution will be rich in beryllium, concentrating the emeralds in the pegmatite rock.
While emeralds are most commonly found in igneous rocks, they can also be found in sedimentary rocks (when they are laid down as sedimentary grains due to weathering and erosion), and metamorphic rocks (same principle as sedimentary rocks, just in rocks that have been subjected to intense heats and/or pressures).
Colour: Usually bright green, but ranging from blue/green to yellow/green
Lustre: Vitreous
Hardness: 8
Chemical Composition: Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
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