Maxixe

Maxixe (pronounced ma-SHE-she) is a rare deep blue variety of beryl, named after the Maxixe mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where it was first found. Its intense sapphire-blue to indigo color is far richer than ordinary aquamarine.

The catch is that maxixe's color is unstable: it is caused by radiation-induced color centers rather than trace elements, and it fades to brownish or colorless when exposed to sunlight or heat. This makes it a poor choice for everyday jewelry.

"Maxixe-type" beryl can also be produced by irradiating pale beryl, so dealers and buyers should be aware that deep blue beryl may not hold its color.

Maxixe beryl forms in granitic pegmatites like other beryls, crystallizing from beryllium-rich fluids. Its unusual deep blue color does not come from trace metals in the way aquamarine's does, but from color centers, defects in the crystal lattice created by natural radiation.

Because these color centers are unstable, the blue fades when the stone is exposed to light or gentle heat. Similar deep blue can be induced artificially by irradiating colorless or pale beryl, producing "maxixe-type" stones.

The original natural material came from the Maxixe mine in Brazil; treated material can originate anywhere beryl is found.

Maxixe is a transparent, deep sapphire-blue beryl with hardness 7.5-8, hexagonal form, and vitreous luster. Its most diagnostic and problematic trait is that the color fades with exposure to light or heat.

Its pleochroism is distinctive: maxixe shows its strongest blue along a different optical direction than normal aquamarine, which helps gemologists identify it. The color is also unstable to a fade test.

Because the blue is impermanent, any unusually deep blue "aquamarine" should be suspected of being maxixe or irradiated beryl and tested before purchase.

Maxixe's beauty is undercut by its instability, so it is mostly of interest to collectors and as a cautionary example in gemology. It can be faceted, but stones must be protected from light to retain color, limiting practical jewelry use.

Because its color fades, it has little lasting commercial value compared with stable aquamarine. Buyers should be informed when a deep blue beryl is maxixe or irradiated.

It has no significant industrial use and no widely established metaphysical tradition distinct from beryl in general.