By Dayton Kennard

This post is for editor Makena Behnke’s “plants/opinions” theme, Dayton Kennard presents the argument that red beryls are better than diamonds.

Hello! Today I’d like to present a little argument about why I think that red beryls are better than diamonds. Now, I understand that diamonds are widely used in jewelry and the standard for wedding rings, but hear me out.

Red beryls are one of the rarest gems in the world (which is probably why you haven’t heard about them). There were only three mines on Earth that they were found in, and only one of those mines produced gemstone quality specimens (stones that are large enough and flawless enough to be cut without shattering). That mine was the Ruby Violet mine in the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah. It’s dried up now, meaning all the gems that were once in it are now gone, mined away over years and years.

Only a small fraction of the red beryls that were mined are actually gemstone quality, as they form under such extreme pressure that they are under one centimeter long and under one-fourth a carat once cut. Most of these gemstone quality red beryls are sitting in collectors’ possessions as un-faceted pieces (not cut into a gemstone shape). This is most likely due to the fact that even if an un-faceted red beryl is inspected closely for hours upon hours to determine if it can be cut or not, it can still shatter unexpectedly during the cutting process.

Does that last bit sound familiar? That is because emeralds can also shatter unexpectedly during the cutting process. In fact, these gems are the same gem, but in different colors. Beryls can be green (emerald), blue (aquamarine), pink to orange (morganite), red (red beryl), yellow (heliodor/golden beryl), deep blue (maxixe), light green (green beryl), and colorless (goshenite).

While certainly not as large or mass produced as diamonds, red beryls are certainly very unique and come from a family of rare and valuable gems, and should get more recognition and respect than their mass-marketed rival–the diamond.

Editor: Makena Behnke