Beryls

Beryl is the parent species. Add chromium and it is emerald; iron turns it to aquamarine; manganese makes morganite. What lands on this page is the beryl that never earned a separate name — golden and yellow heliodor tones, pale greens, and the clear material a cutter can take to a large clean stone.

Without emerald's characteristic inclusions, plain beryl tends to be far cleaner and considerably less expensive for its size, while sharing the same Mohs 7.5 to 8 hardness. Standard millimeter sizes, and these run large.