Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v2.c43.s3.t3.4

v2.c43.s3.t3.4

Beryl, *vaidūrya* in Sanskrit, has a hardness (7-3/4) different from those of chrysoberyl (8-1/2) and quartz (7), and the modern literature does not indicate that chatoyancy is observed in any beryl sample. However, green chrysoberyl sometimes looks like green beryl, and since the former gem exhibits chatoyancy effect occasionally, the Indian word *vaidūrya* has in some instances been used (unfortunately) to indicate cat's eye gem also. We would like to elaborate this point with some details.