Red Beryl
| Also known as | Beryl (Beryl family) |
|---|---|
| Colour | Red, Pink |
| Mohs hardness | 7.5–8 |
| Lustre | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent |
| Cleavage | Indistinct |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Specific gravity | 2.66–2.87 |
What is Red Beryl?
Red beryl, formerly known as bixbite and marketed as red emerald or scarlet emerald, is an extremely rare variety of beryl as well as one of the rarest minerals on Earth. The gem gets its red color from manganese ions incorporated within the beryl crystal structure. The color of red beryl is stable up to 1,000 °C (1,830 °F). Red beryl can come in various tints like strawberry, bright ruby, cherry, and orange.
How to identify Red Beryl
- Lustre: Vitreous.
- Hardness: Mohs 7.5–8 — hard enough to scratch glass.
- Streak: White.
- Habit: Hexagonal crystal system.
Red Beryl value
Red Beryl is a fine gemstone priced per carat by quality — colour, clarity, cut, carat and origin — not by weight in grams. Typical market ranges:
| Quality | Price per carat |
|---|---|
| Commercial | $1,000–$7,000 / ct |
| Good | $3,000–$11,000 / ct |
| Fine | $8,000–$20,000 / ct |
| Top | $15,000–$35,000 / ct |
Ranges cross-validated across two independent research passes against gemstone price guides, 2026-06 — sources: gemsociety.org, farmonaut.com. Colour saturation, clarity, cut and origin move the price enormously, and treatments or lab-grown stones sell for a fraction — so this is a guide, not an appraisal. Have anything valuable checked by a certified gemmologist. See the full crystal & gemstone value guide.
