Maxixe beryl
Variety Be3Al2Si6O18
Also called Maxixe
Take care.
- Fades or changes in light: Keep it in the dark, out of sunlight and bright display lights.
- Sensitive to heat: Keep it away from heat and sudden changes of temperature, including hot lights and ultrasonic cleaners.
About it
Deep blue beryl whose colour comes from radiation, first found at the Maxixe mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The colour fades in daylight or with gentle heat, so treated stones sold as aquamarine can turn pale.
- Type
- Variety
- Group
- Beryl variety
- Formula
- Be3Al2Si6O18
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 7.5–8
- Specific gravity
- 2.67–2.9
- Streak
- white
- Lustre
- vitreous (glassy)
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Colours
- deep blue, violet-blue
- Transparency
- transparent
- Cleavage and fracture
- imperfect basal; conchoidal to uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.