Hello. I picked this up for next to nothing at a rock & mineral fair recently. It was labelled as ‘emerald in matrix’ - not so sure about that - but I thought it was cool and bought it anyway. Does anyone have any insights
Hi Helen,
Welcome to the forum!
The crystal and matrix specimen you have is interesting and really nice.
Unfortunately, It is hard to identify anything with pictures alone.
I can see some of the green crystal’s structure that looks like it might be hexagonal in cross-section. Seems three planes are symmetrical to each other in width and the other three planes being symmetrical to each other as well. Some emerald crystals display this hexagonal symmetry (ditrigonal prism). Since beryl belongs to the hexagonal habit, this could be an Emerald/Matrix specimen but there are other gemstone materials that exhibit this crystal structure as well.
My guess is pure conjecture at this point.
There are many images of emerald crystals in matrix here at mindat.org
Did you get any information from the seller on where the specimen came from?
Do you have any gemology tools/instruments that could help analyze the stone further?
Cheers!
Troy
Thanks Troy. Very useful 
Based on the pics in the link you attached, if it is emerald, it’s not a great specimen, but it is still beautiful in my opinion
I’m a newbie to IGS and this forum and don’t have any identification skills or tools, but I’ll have an explore through the website and see if I find any clues.
The seller didn’t have much to say at all, other than letting me know they were having second thoughts about selling it 
Hi Helen,
You are most welcome! 
I totally understand starting out and not having any tools/instruments. This hobby/career grows with curiosity over time and the tools you might eventually acquire will too.
About your specimen: Since it has a green hue, that narrows down the possible variety, if it is a beryl. Emerald forms under hydrothermal or magmatic processes. This means the host matrix will be different and that knowledge could provide clues to its place of origin or a region.
Can you take some additional images of the crystal (as close as possible) and of the matrix? It will still be very difficult to identify the crystal, but it could help provide additional clues.
Having a crystal with host matrix is a treasure trove!
Cheers!
-Troy
Seems the camera is more focused on the background. If you take pictures with the stone on a white background (blank paper, or cloth, the camera will focus on the specimen. A trick that someone here told me about, is to take a step back from the specimen and use 2 or 3x zoom which will help give a wider field of view but keep the stone in focus.
I can see more detail in these images versus the original collage, thank you!
The crystal has a triangular cross-section but may not be truly ditrigonal. I haven’t seen a beryl display a distinctive trigonal shape like this, but that could be just part of the growth process.
The matrix does seem to be similar to other host minerals associated with emerald but there isn’t any outstanding clues that can be identified in the images. Without using a few basic tests it will be very difficult to identify it.
However, I suggest you take the mineral to a local mineral and gem society, Rockhound club or a local college / university with a geology / minerology dept. They would be be very helpful in many ways.
I have learned a lot from this group and continue to do so every day. I hope you can too.
Cheers!
-Troy
Thanks Troy. I agree this platform is very educational!
I will practice my photography over the coming weeks and maybe even hunt out a proper camera.
Thanks for your help so far 
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Yep, looks like emerald.
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I understand completely about wanting to learn and progress with knowledge. I also know that as long as you think it’s beautiful and love it that’s the most important part. Lol. Good luck on your journey and Troy is an excellent person and very knowledgeable. Happy learning!!!
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Hi Helen, sounds like you have everything figured out, but I just wanted to drop in my 2 cents. I have a crystal shop and carry low grade Emeralds and the specimen you showed looks a lot like them. I have seen them in many other shops as well, so they are pretty easy to find. If you have what I have, it is a low grade Emerald in a matrix of black Schist that was mined in Brazil. Christina
Thanks for the help. I reckon you’re right 
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