Beryllium, buh RIHL ee uhm, is a rare, light-gray metallic element. Beryllium never occurs in nature as a pure metal. But it is found in bertrandite, beryl, chrysoberyl, phenacite, and other minerals. Beryl and bertrandite are the most important sources of beryllium. The German chemist Friedrich Wohler and the French chemist A. A. Bussy, working independently, isolated the first samples of pure beryllium in 1828.