Ion microprobe and wet chemical analyses of surinamite from the type locality have shown the presence of about 4–5 wt.% BeO in addition to the oxides previously reported by de Roever et al. (1976). Attempts at synthesizing surinamite have failed in the BeO-free system, but were successful when running a composition containing 4.5wt.% BeO at 20 kb and 800° C. Therefore, beryllium appears to be an essential element for the crystal chemistry of surinamite. A model formula for surinamite might be (Mg_2.25Fe _0.75 ²⁺ )(Al_3.75Fe _0.25 ³⁺ )[BeSi₃O₁₆].