Database of luminescent minerals 

emerald   (French name: emeraude )

Chemical formula: See BERYL

Family: Silicates

Status: NR

Crystal system : Hexagonal

Display mineral: NON

Luminescence:

Daylight picture

Emeraude, Muzo, Colombia;
Photo and Copyright: Richard Loyens

Longwave (365nm) picture

Emeraude, Muzo, Colombia;
fluo red, excitation: laser 405nm
Photo and Copyright: Richard Loyens

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Phosphorescence (in the common sense of the term) observable with the naked eye:

No phosphorescence visible to the naked eye under any type of UV

Comments:

The gem variety of BERYL of green color.

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺,  Mn⁴⁺,  Mn²⁺ ,  V²⁺,  

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

Cr³⁺ : Lines at 682, 683, 684nm, 

Cr³⁺ replacing Al³⁺ : broad band peaking at 730nm  

Cr³⁺ : (666), 685, (696), 

Cr³⁺ I: 725nm (Band)

Cr³⁺ II: 715nm (Band)

Fe³⁺ : broad band at 735nm

Cr³⁺ , V²⁺, Mn⁴⁺ : broad band at 720 (Lifetime = 100 microsecondes)

VO₄ : 423 (Lifetime = 1 microseconde)

Col. G. Barmarin; Spectre: G. Barmarin

Spectrum Galery:

  
  Go to the galery (6 spectra)

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Steady-state emission of beryl was previously studied.

The broad band at 720 nm is connected with Fe³⁺, while the relatively narrow bands at 480 and 570 nm are ascribed to Mn²⁺ in tetrahedral and octahedral coordination, correspondingly.

Cr³⁺ emission was connected with narrow R-lines at 680 and 682 nm (Tarashchan 1978; Kuznetsov and Tarashchan 1988). (Cr³⁺ impurity ions in highly distorted octahedron sites)

The Cr³⁺ luminescence properties in natural beryl minerals have been studied as a function of the Cr content as well as impurities such as Fe and V. It appears that the Cr³⁺ crystal field is linked to the Cr amount and decreases when Cr increases. A competition between Cr and V was noticed for very low Cr concentration (Ollier et al. 2015). (Gaft)

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Muzo Mine, Mun. de Muzo, Vasquez-Yacopí Mining District, Boyacá Department, Colombia;
• Brumado, Bahia, Brazil (red LW);

(*)The data are not exhaustive and are limited to a few remarkable localities for fluorescence

Bibliographic reference for luminescence:

• The Henkel Glossary of Fluorescent Minerals, Dr. Gerhard Henkel, Published by the FMS, 1989 ,
• Luminescence Spectroscopy of Minerals and Materials, M. Gaft, R. Reisfeld, G. Panczer, Springer Editor, ISBN: 10 3-540-21918-8 ,
• Luminescent Spectra of Minerals, Boris S. Gorobets and Alexandre A. Rogojine, Moscow, 2002 ,

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

  http://www.mindat.org/show.php?name=Emerald

  http://webmineral.com/data/Emerald.shtml

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