GIA CERTIFIED RED EMERALD
0.99 carat Red Emerald
7.88mm x 6.53mm x 2.79mm
Ex. Bill Vance Collection
 
According to the Gemological Institute of America, every varietal of the mineral beryl has a gemological name…except for the red.  The variety was discovered in 1904, but it was only mineral-grade and never recognized as a gemstone.  Gem-grade material was not seen until 1958, and it wasn't recovered in volume until the late 1970s.  Sales receipts dating back to 1979 list this stone as "Red Emerald".
 
James Shigley, the GIA's head of research for over thirty years, and the man who wrote almost everything the GIA has to say on the subject, also said he "accept[s] the trade use of red emerald, because it BETTER COMMUNICATES WHAT THE MATERIAL IS TO THE PUBLIC.  The term does NOT misrepresent the identity of the material."
 
Only the red and green are formed hydrothermally, which means they are vapor-deposited crystals and they do not crystallize within pegmatites as the other varieties of beryl are.  The higher pressures experienced during formation causes higher loads of impurities to be forced into the crystal structure, which is what makes the red and green more-intensely colored.
 
This gemstone is certified by the GIA, but the variety is only identified by the color 'red'.