HELIODOR

HELIODOR	Perfect, prismatic hexagon crystals
Major Sources	Brazil, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria Russia & Ukraine
Colors Found	Yellow to yellowish green
Family	Beryl: Be3Al2Si6O18
Hardness	7.5–8
Refractive Index	1.56–1.60; Uniaxial (–)
Specific Gravity	2.68–2.74
Crystal System	Hexagonal
Enhancements	May be enhanced

First discovered in Rossing, Erongo in western Namibia in 1910, heliodor was named from the Greek helios and doron, meaning “gift from the sun.”
Displaying characteristic yellow to yellowish greens (similar to olive oil), heliodor is a variety of beryl, the “mother of gemstones.” Interestingly, as an allochromatic gem, pure beryl is colorless, with traces of different elements being responsible for beryl’s great color range.

Legends and lore

Among crystal healers, heliodor has traditionally been used as a charm to promote compassion, sincerity and sympathy. Heliodor is also believed by some to enhance one’s intuition and to improve one’s communicative abilities.

Just the facts

Heliodor’s main characteristic is its color, which is produced when iron replaces some aluminum in the crystal structure. The color depends on the relative concentrations and location of iron within the beryl crystal structure. However, the shade may vary and it is often difficult to establish a dividing line between heliodor, golden beryl and yellow beryl. Originally, golden beryl found in Namibia was called heliodor, but today the name is used to describe the yellowish green varieties of beryl, with the golden colors called golden beryl and the yellow colors called yellow beryl. However, please be aware that these demarcations are still confused by some sources.

Not surprisingly, heliodor was discovered in a pegmatite that also produced aquamarine, a beryl also colored by iron. Like aquamarine, the more intense colors frequently have more inclusions. Heliodor occurs primarily in granite pegmatites and to a lesser extent in granite cavities. Because of heliodor’s relatively robust hardness and specific gravity, it is sometimes found in alluvial deposits.

Heliodor is famous for its perfect, six-sided prismatic hexagonal crystals that usually occur individually. These are often enormous and some 26-foot, well crystallized examples are known to have existed. Understandably, only very small amounts of these enormous crystals are of a sufficient quality to be used in jewelry.

Heliodor can be faceted into various gem cuts, and some gems display chatoyancy (cat’s eye effect) when cut and polished into cabochons. When perfectly transparent, six-sided crystals are discovered, they are sometimes set uncut in necklaces and pendants.

While the best heliodor traditionally hails from Namibia, beautiful specimens are also found in Minas Gerais, Brazil, the Ural Mountains in Russia and the Ukraine. While heliodor’s durability and summery colors makes it well suited to jewelry, it is extremely difficult to find enough heliodor to craft lines of jewelry, particularly with respect to clean examples displaying intense colors and a high luster (good cutting and polishing). Such material simply isn’t available and thus, despite its beauty, heliodor rarely makes an appearance in jewelry.