Trapiche emerald
Variety Be3Al2Si6O18
Also called Trapiche
Take care.
- Sensitive to heat: Keep it away from heat and sudden changes of temperature, including hot lights and ultrasonic cleaners.
About it
Emerald with a fixed six-spoked pattern of dark inclusions radiating from the centre, like a mill wheel. Comes from the Muzo and Peñas Blancas areas of Colombia.
- 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
- green with six dark rays
- Transparency
- translucent, opaque
- Cleavage and fracture
- imperfect basal; conchoidal to uneven fracture
Typical values: real specimens vary. For more, see mindat.org.