Diego Gatta, G, Adamo, I, Zullino, A, Gagliardi, V, Lorenzi, R, Rotiroti, N, Faldi, L, Prosperi, L, Giacomo Diego Gatta, Ilaria Adamo, Andrea Zullino, Valentina Gagliardi, Roberto Lorenzi, Nicola Rotiroti, Ludovica Faldi, Loredana Prosperi, Diego Gatta, G, Adamo, I, Zullino, A, Gagliardi, V, Lorenzi, R, Rotiroti, N, Faldi, L, Prosperi, L, Giacomo Diego Gatta, Ilaria Adamo, Andrea Zullino, Valentina Gagliardi, Roberto Lorenzi, Nicola Rotiroti, Ludovica Faldi, and Loredana Prosperi
In this study, we report the experimental findings of a multi-methodological and comparative investigation of a natural (from the Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah) and three synthetic (hydrothermally grown) gem-quality red beryls by means of: gemmological standard testing, laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectroscopy, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible–near infrared absorption spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Gemmological, crystallo-chemical, and spectroscopic features of the natural and synthetic stones enabled us to unveil the causes of their color (from red, to purplish-red, or orange-red) and how different and complementary techniques can be efficiently used to discriminate between natural and synthetic materials, based on non-destructive, micro-destructive, and destructive techniques.