Aquamarine - March's Birthstone

March 19, 2007

Aquamarine means “sea water” in Latin, alluding to its color. Most natural colored aquamarine is a light blue-green or even light green variety of beryl. Prior to the 1900’s this was the preferred color for aquamarine. Today, aquamarine is routinely heat-treated to remove the green component, thereby producing a permanently colored blue stone. Quite large stones, ranging from several carats to more than ten carats are relatively common.

The most common cut is the emerald type, although mixed oval or pear-shaped cuts are no infrequent. The more intense the blue color, the more valuable the stone. Under magnification, aquamarines usually have a high transparency and clarity. They are also very durable and their color is evenly distributed. Most aquamarine comes from Brazil, where crystals weighing several kilos have been found. Other deposits include Russia, Madagascar, India, Ireland, the United States, and recently Afghanistan.

Aquamarine is commonly believed to be the stone of courage and its calming energies are said to reduce stress and quiet the mind. In ancient times, aquamarine was believed to counteract the forces of darkness and procure favor from the spirits of light. I was commonly carried by sailors as a talisman against drowning.

The above set of earrings, bracelet, and necklace features faceted aquamarine and amazonite nuggets on hammered fine silver and can be found in my SoMa Collection along with many other selections in hammered fine silver, copper, 14K Gold Filled, 14K, and 18K Gold.

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