Goshenite is colorless beryl. It is the same mineral as emerald and aquamarine, with no color in it. Some clear beads are irradiated to turn yellow or pink, so ask.
Silicate (beryl) · Beryl
Goshenite
Goshenita
- Palette
- Clear
- Mined in
- Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Madagascar, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.5–8.0 ?
- See-through
- transparent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Goshen, Massachusetts, where it was first found
- Also sold as
- colorless beryl, white beryl, lucid beryl
- Intention
- Calm Strength
- Looking for
- Focus and clarity Communication Creativity
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Goshenite is usually not heated or enhanced. Colored beads sold from it can be made by irradiation, so ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
380,000 KG
A beryl crystal from Malakialina, Madagascar, about 18 meters long and weighing roughly 380,000 kilograms, was the largest known natural crystal of any mineral as of 1999.
BRILLE
Early lenses in 13th-century Italy were ground from beryl or rock crystal, which is why German calls eyeglasses 'Brille.'
18 TONNES
Maine's Bumpus Quarry in Albany produced a beryl crystal 5.5 meters long that weighed about 18 tonnes.
What it is
Colorless beryl, clear and glassy with a gentle shine rather than sparkle. It is the plain, pure form of the same mineral that gives emerald, aquamarine and morganite their color. Colorless beads are sometimes irradiated to turn them yellow, green, pink or blue, so ask.
What gives it its color
Goshenite is colorless beryl: it has none of the traces of iron, chromium or manganese that color aquamarine, emerald and morganite, and it can be irradiated to turn yellow, green, pink or blue.
Where it comes from
Goshenite takes its name from Goshen, Massachusetts, and comes mostly from pegmatites in Brazil (Minas Gerais), Pakistan, Myanmar, Namibia and China.
In history
Colorless beryl is named goshenite for Goshen, Massachusetts, where it was first found. It is clear enough that in 13th-century Italy beryl or rock crystal was ground into the first eyeglass lenses, and Pliny the Elder wrote that Indian gem cutters shaped beryls into six-sided stones to deepen their color.
What's said about it
In crystal lore it is the stone people keep for clear thinking. It's said to help you look at a question from every side before you decide.
Clear beryl was cut into lenses for some of the first eyeglasses in medieval Italy. It is hard enough to wear daily, and it suits a plain setting.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, on a desk, or in a pocket.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, goshenite is paired with the crown chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, on a desk, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want focus and clarity, communication, creativity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraCrown
ZodiacGemini
ElementAir
Also calledcolorless beryl, white beryl, lucid beryl
Care
- Hard enough for daily wear, but it can chip if knocked on an edge.
- Wipe with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then dry it.
- Keep it away from steam cleaners and sudden hot-and-cold changes.
- Store it apart from diamond, sapphire and other harder stones.
- Ask the seller if a colored bead was irradiated; plain colorless beads are the natural state.
How to tell what you have
- Goshenite is colorless beryl, hardness 7.5 to 8, with a soft sheen rather than bright sparkle.
- Look-alikes include white topaz (8), quartz crystal (7), cubic zirconia (8, usually flawless), and zircon with colored flashes; foil-backed or layered pieces can imitate it.
What sets the price
Goshenite is colorless beryl, so price follows how clear and free of flaws the beads are, bead size and cut, and whether they are plain or dyed pale blue to look like aquamarine.
Rules and sourcing
Colored beads sold from goshenite can be made by irradiation. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose irradiation.
Questions people ask at our table
What is goshenite?
It is colorless beryl, the same mineral as emerald and aquamarine without any color-giving trace element. It is named for Goshen, Massachusetts, where it was first found.
Is goshenite a diamond look-alike?
It is clear, but it has far less sparkle than diamond. Sellers have also used colored foil behind it to imitate other gems, so look at how the stone is mounted.
Is the color natural?
Colorless goshenite is natural. Some colorless beryl is irradiated to turn yellow, green, pink or blue, and that should be disclosed.
Why is it linked to eyeglasses?
Clear beryl was used for some early lenses in medieval Italy, and colorless beryl was used for lenses later on. Today it is mostly a collector's stone.
Where does it come from?
Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Madagascar and the United States are named sources. It forms in granite pegmatites.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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