Vertical prismatic blue aquamarine crystal standing with a partial reflection.
Horizontal blue aquamarine crystal prism from Namibia with mirror reflection.
Macro detail of blue aquamarine crystal growth lines from Namibia.
Hexagonal termination of a pale blue aquamarine crystal from Namibia.

Aquamarine

Aquamarine – Be3Al2Si6O18
Elements: Beryllium, Aluminum, Silicon, Oxygen
Class: Silicates – Cyclosilicates
Crystal System: Hexagonal
Hardness: 7.5-8
Topaz
Talc (1)Diamond (10)
Extremely hard. Harder than most gemstones.
Origin: Erongo Mts. – Namibia
Did you know?

Before clear glass was common, crystals of beryl, the group that includes aquamarine, were ground into some of the first eyeglass lenses. The link still shows in German, where the word for glasses, Brille, comes straight from beryl.

More minerals containing Beryllium

Green emerald crystals on white calcite matrix from Colombia with reflection.
Emerald on Calcite
Pale blue aquamarine crystal with silvery muscovite rosettes from Pakistan.
Aquamarine & Muscovite
Apophyllite & StilbiteBerthierite