Ez 1

Ezekiel 1
1.16  beryl... It was one of the stones on the breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:20; R.V. marg., “chalcedony;” 39:13). The color of the wheels in Ezekiel's vision was as the color of a beryl stone (1:16; 10:9; R.V., “stone of Tarshish”). It is mentioned in Song of Songs 5:14; Dan. 10:6; Rev. 21:20. In Ezek. 28:13 the LXX. render the word by “chrysolite,” which the Jewish historian Josephus regards as its proper translation. This also is the rendering given in the Authorized Version in the margin. That was a gold-colored gem, the topaz of ancient authors.  --WebBible™ Encyclopedia: http://christiananswers.net
Okay, the whole description here is very "far out," and my gut feeling is that I am missing something significant about its meaning, but then, that may be just the point.  I am always nervous about being too confident about this OT imagery.