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Bixbite (Red Beryl) (a variety of Beryl)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Bixbite

  
Bixbite is named after Maynard Bixby of Utah who discovered it. The name Beryl is from ancient Greek meaning "precious blue-green color of sea water" stone which was originally applied only to Aquamarine but was later used for the Beryl family.

Discovered in 1905;   IMA status: Not Valid (a variety of Beryl)

 

Chemistry

 

 

Chemical Formula:

Be3Al2Si6O18 + Mn 

 

Beryllium Aluminum Silicate

Molecular Weight:

537.50 gm

Composition:

Berylium

5.03 %

Be

13.96 %

BeO

 

Aluminum

10.04 %

Al

18.97 %

Al2O3

 

Silicon

31.35 %

Si

67.07 %

SiO2

 

Oxygen

53.58 %

O

 

 

 

 

100.00 %

 

100.00 %

= TOTAL OXIDE

 

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Silicates (Germanates)

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

8/E.12-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

9.CJ.05

 

9 : SILICATES (Germanates)
C : Cyclosilicates
J : [Si6O18]12- 6-membered single rings (sechser-Einfachringe), without insular complex anions

Related to:

Beryl Group. Manganese-rich variety of Beryl.

Members of Group:

Beryl Group: Beryl, Bazzite, Indialite, Stoppaniite, Pezzottaite. Beryl Series

Varieties:

None

Synonyms:

None

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Hexagonal - Dihexagonal Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals are prismatic, elongated or flattened, equant.

Twinning:

None

 

 

Physical Properties

  

  

Cleavage:

Indistinct

Fracture:

Conchoidal to Uneven

Tenacity:

Brittle

Moh's Hardness:

7.5 - 8.0

Density:

2.66 - 2.70 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

None

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Deep Rose Red, Pinkish Red, Gooseberry Red

Transparency:

Transparent, Translucent, Opaque

Luster:

Vitreous (glassy)

Refractive Index:

1.567 - 1.572  Uniaxial ( - )

Birefringence:

0.004 - 0.008

Dispersion:

0.014 (low)

Pleochroism:

Distinct; purplish-red - orange-red

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

In rhyolitic volcanic rocks in the mountains of Utah.

Common Associations:

Quartz, Feldspar, Muscovite, Lepidolite, Spodumene, Amblygonite, Tourmaline, Topaz, Cassiterite, Columbite, Tantalite

Common Impurities:

Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Cr, Na, Li, Cs, O, H, OH, H2O, K, Rb

Type Locality:

Maynard's Claim (Pismire Knolls), Thomas Range, Juab Co., Utah, USA

Year Discovered:

1905

View mineral photos:

Bixbite Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org (Bixbite)
Mindat.org (Beryl)
Webmineral.com (Beryl)

 

 


Bixbite (also called Red Beryl) is the red color variety of the Beryl family of minerals that includes Aquamarine (blue), Emerald (green), Goshenite (colorless), Heliodor (yellow), Morganite (pink) and Pezzottaite (red). Bixbite gets its rich red color from traces of manganese added to the basic Beryl formula. Bixbite is a very rare gem and always very small due to the scarcity and small size of crystals. Gemmy crystals are usually kept as mineral specimens by collectors making gems harder to find. Bixbite is usually heavily included and clean gems are extremely rare.

Red Beryl was first found in 1905 in the Thomas Range, Juab County, Utah, USA by Maynard Bixby. The small crystals were found in a rhyolite host rock and were translucent but not gemmy. It wasn't until the late 1950's that larger, better quality crystals were found in the Wah Wah Mountains in Beaver County, Utah. This is the only place in the world where gem quality Red Beryl has ever been found. Consistent mining of Red Beryl in the Wah Wah Mountains has only taken place since 1978. But mining has ended at the Violet Claims Mine so this rare gem has become even rarer. Bixbite is one of the rarest gems in the world!

Recently, the red gem called Pezzottaite has been offered on the market as Bixbite by some sellers. It does resemble Bixbite in color and some mineral characteristics, and it is a member of the Beryl group of minerals, but it is not Bixbite. The chemistry and crystal structure of the two are different. Because of these differences, the IMA recently approved Pezzottaite as a new mineral species (IMA #2003-022) of the Beryl family of minerals. Pezzottaite has only been found in Ambatovita, Madagascar. The Wah Wah Mountains and the Thomas Range of Utah, USA are still the only locations in the world to find gem quality Bixbite.
 

  
Bixbite gems for sale:

Bixbite-006

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-006

Weight:

0.0940 ct

Size:

2.50 x 2.50 x 1.81 mm

Shape:

Square

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

Eye clean to SI

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-006

Another beautiful Bixbite with good color. It's eye clean with inclusions visible under a loupe.


Bixbite-001

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-001

Weight:

0.2335 ct

Size:

3.74 x 5.38 x 2.11 mm

Shape:

Pear

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

VS2 -SI

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-001

This beautiful gem has excellent size, color and clarity for Bixbite. Portions appear eye clean, other areas have visible inclusions. Overall, this is a spectacular example of gem-quality Bixbite. This gem was faceted in the US.


Bixbite-002

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-002

Weight:

0.0405 ct

Size:

2.14 x 2.09 x 1.28 mm

Shape:

Square

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

Eye clean

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-002

Another beautiful Bixbite with good color. It's eye clean with inclusions visible under a loupe.


Bixbite-003

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-003

Weight:

1.2230 ct

Size:

7.39 x 5.93 x 3.67 mm

Shape:

Cut-corner rectangle

Color:

Red

Clarity:

MI - I

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-003

Wow! A beautiful Bixbite over one carat! A Bixbite gem this size is a true rarity. It's included but has great color and size and displays very well.


Bixbite-004

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-004

Weight:

0.1470 ct

Size:

4.46 x 3.13 x 1.88 mm

Shape:

Pear

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

Eye Clean - VS2

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-004

A beautiful Bixbite with good color and clarity. It's eye clean with slight inclusions visible under a loupe.


Bixbite-005

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-005

Weight:

0.0760 ct

Size:

3.76 x 2.06 x 1.49 mm

Shape:

Cushion

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

Eye Clean - VS2

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-005

A beautiful Bixbite with good color and clarity. It's eye clean to very slightly included.


Bixbite-006

Gem:

Bixbite (Red Beryl)

Stock #:

BIXB-006

Weight:

0.0550 ct

Size:

2.61 x 2.59 x 1.63 mm

Shape:

Trillion

Color:

Pinkish Red

Clarity:

Eye Clean - VS2

Origin:

Wah Wah Mts., Utah, USA

Treatment:

None (natural)

Price:

SOLD (but we have others)

Pictures are of the actual gem offered for sale.
Gem images are magnified to show detail.

Bixbite-006

A beautiful Bixbite with good color and clarity. It's eye clean to very slightly included.


 


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