Chrysoberyl

The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl, not to be confused with beryl, is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4. Chrysoberyl is transparent to translucent and sometimes opalescent. An interesting feature of uncut crystals of chyrsoberyl are the cyclic twins called trillings. These twinned crystals have a hexagonal appearance, but are the result of a triplet of twins with each "twin" taking up 120 degrees of the cyclic trilling. The word chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words meaning golden and beryl.

Related Topics:
Mineral - Gemstone - Beryl - Aluminate - Beryllium - Opalescent - Cyclic twin - Greek

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