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Locations: Brazil, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Russia  Colors Found: Brown, orange, yellow & yellow-green  Family:  Beryl  Hardness:  7.50 - 8.00  Refractive Index:  1.57 - 1.60  Relative Density:  2.80

Heliodor was first discovered in Rossing, Erongo in western Namibia in 1910 and was named from the Greek “helios” and “doron”, meaning “gift from the sun”.

Appearing in yellow, yellowish green and yellowish orange colors, Heliodor is the yellow variety of Beryl, the “mother of gemstones”. Interestingly, pure Beryl is colorless, with traces of different elements being responsible for Beryl’s great color range.



Heliodor’s main characteristic is its color, which is a yellowish green similar to olive oil. However, the shade may vary and it is often difficult to establish a dividing line between Heliodor and Golden Beryl. Originally, Golden Beryl found in Namibia was called Heliodor but today the name is used to describe the yellow varieties of Beryl, with the golden colors being aptly referred to as Golden Beryl.

The yellow color is produced when iron replaces some of the aluminum in the crystal structure. Not surprisingly, Heliodor was discovered in a location that also produced Aquamarine, a Beryl also colored by iron.

Heliodor is famous for their perfect, six-sided prismatic hexagonal crystals that usually occur individually. These are often enormous and some 8 meter, 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 hails from Namibia, beautiful specimens are also found in Minas Gerais, Brazil and the Ural Mountains, Russia.

Extremely durable and displaying invigorating summery colors, Heliodor is well suited to jewelry.