Maxixe Identification Guide
How to identify Maxixe beryl, a deep blue irradiated beryl with unstable color, using its color, dichroism, and fade behavior.
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What Maxixe Looks Like
Maxixe (pronounced ma-SHEESH) is a deep blue variety of beryl whose color is produced by natural or artificial irradiation. The color is a rich, dark sapphire-blue or cobalt-blue, often deeper than ordinary aquamarine. Its defining problem is instability: the blue fades with exposure to light and heat, reverting toward colorless or pale. The luster is vitreous and stones are transparent.
- Color: deep blue to cobalt/sapphire-blue (often unstable, fading)
- Luster: vitreous
- Transparency: transparent
- Crystal habit: hexagonal prisms (beryl), often as faceted gems
Step-by-Step Field ID Checklist
- Confirm beryl basics: hexagonal crystal, vitreous luster, Mohs 7.5-8, poor/indistinct cleavage.
- Note the deep blue - richer and more saturated than typical aquamarine.
- Check dichroism - Maxixe shows a distinctive dichroism (deep blue and near-colorless) that is the REVERSE orientation of aquamarine, a key diagnostic with a dichroscope.
- Be aware of fading - if a deep blue beryl noticeably lightens with sun/heat exposure, suspect Maxixe.
- Test hardness - it scratches quartz (8 > 7).
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: 7.5-8.
- Streak: white.
- Cleavage/fracture: indistinct basal cleavage; conchoidal fracture.
- Specific gravity: about 2.6-2.9 (beryl range).
- Dichroism: the strong blue is seen in the ordinary ray (opposite to aquamarine), a defining test.
- Spectrum (lab): Maxixe shows distinctive absorption lines in the red end of the spectrum, unlike aquamarine.
- Stability: color fades under prolonged light/heat - a behavioral diagnostic.
Common Look-Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Aquamarine: lighter blue/blue-green, with stable color and dichroism in the reverse orientation to Maxixe; aquamarine does not fade.
- Blue topaz: higher SG (~3.5), different cleavage (perfect basal), and distinct optics.
- Blue sapphire: much harder (9), higher SG, and a different crystal system.
- Maxixe-type vs natural deep aquamarine: the spectroscope (red-region lines) and fade behavior reveal Maxixe.
Where It Is Typically Found
The original Maxixe beryl came from the Maxixe mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Most modern deep-blue irradiated beryl ("Maxixe-type") is produced by irradiating pale beryl from various beryl-bearing pegmatite sources.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if it's real Maxixe beryl?
Confirm it is beryl (hexagonal, Mohs 7.5-8), look for an unusually deep blue, and check its dichroism, which shows the strong blue in the opposite orientation to aquamarine. Gem labs confirm it with characteristic red-end absorption lines and its tendency to fade.
Does Maxixe beryl fade?
Yes. Its irradiation-induced blue color is unstable and fades toward colorless or pale with prolonged exposure to light and heat, which is the main reason it is treated cautiously in the gem trade.
Maxixe vs aquamarine: what is the difference?
Maxixe is a deeper, more cobalt-blue irradiated beryl with unstable, fading color and reversed dichroism, while aquamarine is a lighter, color-stable blue-to-blue-green beryl. Spectroscopy distinguishes them definitively.
What gives Maxixe its blue color?
Its blue comes from color centers created by irradiation (natural or artificial) rather than from iron, which colors ordinary aquamarine. These color centers are unstable, so the color fades over time.