Natural and synthetic vanadium-bearing chrysoberyl

Abstract

In the mid-1990s, V-bearing synthetic chrysoberyl was grown by Kyocera Corporation as a synthetic counterpart to material discovered at Tunduru, Tanzania. Shown here are a 1.53 ct V-bearing chrysoberyl from Tunduru (top) and a 1.06 ct synthetic chrysoberyl grown by Kyocera (bottom, 7.0×5.0 mm). Photo by K. Schmetzer.

Gemological, Spectral and Chemical Features of Canary Yellow Chrysoberyl

“…All the samples have been subjected to chemical tests by EDXRF, and the chemical results are displayed in Table 4, including Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ga, and Sn. The samples investigated have high contents of titanium, tin and gallium; these abundances are in agreement with the values generally found in natural chrysoberyls, while synthetic ones are generally devoid of these elements [13]. While vanadium ranges from 60.9 to 133.5 ppm, with an average of 94.08 ppm, chromium falls into the range of 23.6 to 84.5 ppm, with an average value of 62.41 ppm.…”

“…However, the trend of undervaluation of the common chrysoberyl has been turned around as much more chrysoberyl of attractive color has entered the gem market. In recent years, green chrysoberyl has entered the market and gained considerable attention, showing a strong rise in popularity [13]. These green varieties usually exhibit a green hue of medium to high saturation owing to the trace amount of vanadium within the crystalline structure.…”