Beryl var. Emerald

The beautiful and spectacular Habach Valley in the Salzburg State of Austria is highly mineralised along its entire length. One of its most iconic minerals is Emerald, the green variety of Beryl. This miniature displays seven gooseberry to nickel green hexagonal prismatic crystals laid flat against, and partly embedded in, a mica schist matrix. The Emerald crystals range from 0.5 to 1.4 cm long and vary from transparent to cloudy and translucent. The prism face are smooth with shallow natural etching and vary in lustre between greasy and glassy. A charming miniature of Emerald crystals from this classic locality in the Habach Valley of Austria.