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The cyclosilicates (ring silicates) or metasilicate rings are minerals in which the tetrahedra of silica are joined in rings, each tetrahedron sharing O 2- ions with two other adjacent tetrahedra. The rings are complex groups of (SiO3)36- or (SiO3)612-, or written another way, SinO3n where n is the number of tetrahedra in the ring. Charges on these rings are balanced by metal ions which hold the rings together in a crystal structure. The symmetry of the rings is commonly reflected in the crystal form, as it the case of Beryl, which has six tetrahedra arranged in a hexagonal ring, Si6O18, giving rise to hexagonal crystals.

 

 
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