You’ve probably heard of members the Beryl family of gemstones. Emerald and Aquamarine are two of the most famous gemstones in the world. But this family also produces rich yellow gemstones, which go by the interchangeable names of ‘Golden Beryl’ or ‘Heliodor’ in the trade.
Our most recent parcel of yellow Beryl is of a quality the likes of which we have never seen in the market before. Although we have had great success in sourcing fine Golden Beryl from Brazil before, as expected with 95% of all yellow Beryls, we have seen it tends to have very slight undertones of green within the body of the stone.
What we have received from the Xia (pronounced “JEE ARR”) mine is the purest golden color with undertones of crisp canary hues due to its intense iron content. This high grade Beryl also provides exceptional clarity, something we do not expect from this species of gemstone. The miners call their yellow Beryl ‘Heliodor’, so we are bringing it to you under this name to distinguish it from our old Golden Beryl source.
The name Heliodor literally translates as ‘gift from the sun’ and this is so apt for the Xia pocket, known locally as ‘the yellow Emerald’ due to the high regard this particular gemstone is held with in the trade.
Like its sister Aquamarine, this variety of Beryl, unlike Emerald, has exceptional brilliance and the famous Xia mine brings to the world a gemstone with the full spectrum of yellows, that sparkle and ricochet around the gemstone’s internal facets due to its unparalleled clarity.
We can source fine Heliodors from Madagascar and Namibia but the general consensus in the trade is that the finest grade that commands the highest price per carat is the Brazilian material and Xia demonstrates that fact effortlessly.
