Hannah’s Reflections ~ Heliodor
Hi, I am Hannah.
Each week I will be researching Gemstone Families, and writing my findings here, so you can learn with me.
Today, I will be writing about Heliodor which is in The Beryl Family.
Heliodor is a yellow beryl variety that is commonly found in gemstone deposits. Its color ranges from pale yellow to golden yellow, resembling the warmth of sunlight.
Its clarity can vary from transparent to slightly included. Heliodor is valued for its high transparency, which allows light to pass through easily, resulting in excellent brilliance.
The meaning of this gemstone is derived from its Greek origin, which translates to ‘gift of the sun’.
In heliodor’s case, its color comes from the presence of ferric iron.
The amount of iron determines the specific hue heliodor falls into. If iron replaces some aluminum, you’ll get golden-yellow. Other iron concentrations lead to a green heliodor undertone. (Again very interesting that different amounts of iron can change the color to make it golden/yellow or green in some cases!)
Beryl was among the earliest gems used by ancient Egyptians for animal carvings. Inventive Italians in 1400 AD used beryl to create the first model of eyeglasses, as glass at the time wasn’t as clear.
Despite beryl’s historical uses, heliodor wasn’t officially discovered until 1912 in Namibia. (Wow! How creative and inventive that the Italians used Beryl to make glasses! It’s such a hard stone but still can be chiseled into shape without breaking.)
Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog :)