Loading [MathJax]/jax/output/HTML-CSS/jax.js
Skip to main content
Library homepage
 

Text Color

Text Size

 

Margin Size

 

Font Type

Enable Dyslexic Font
Geosciences LibreTexts

16.4.5: Goshenite

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

Goshenite
Chemical composition Be3Al2(SiO3)6Beryllium aluminum silicate
Crystal system Hexagonal
Habit Prismatic
Cleavage Poor, basal
Fracture Conchoidal to uneven
Hardness 7.5
Optic nature Uniaxial -
Refractive index 1.57 - 1.59
Birefringence 0.004 - 0.009
Dispersion Low, 0.014
Specific gravity 2.7 - 2.9
Lustre Vitreous
Pleochroism None

File:Béryl var. goshénite 1 (Chine) .jpg

Figure 16.4.5.1: Colorless Goshenite
Xuebaoding, Pingwu, Sichuan Province, China

Goshenite is the colorless variety of beryl and is named after Goshen in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA (one of the localities where this gem is found).


This page titled 16.4.5: Goshenite is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.5 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by gemology via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.

Support Center

How can we help?