Aquamarine
Named after seawater, aquamarine’s fresh watery hue is a cool plunge into a refreshing pool. Blue to slightly greenish-blue variety of the mineral beryl. Crystals are sometimes big enough to cut fashioned gems of more than 100 carats. Well-formed crystals might make superb mineral specimens.
Aquamarine’s name comes from the Latin for seawater, and it was said to calm waves and keep sailors safe at sea.
March’s birthstone was also thought to enhance the happiness of marriages. The best gems combine high clarity with limpid transparency and blue to slightly greenish blue hues. Like many Beryls, aquamarine forms large crystals suitable for sizable fashioned gems and carvings.
Birthstones & Anniversaries
Aquamarine is the birthstone for March and the gem of the 19th wedding anniversary.
Facts
Mineral: beryl
Chemistry: Be3Al2Si6O18
Colour(s): Generally transparent and greenish blue, to blue green and generally light in tone. Deeper blues are less common; some highly included aquamarine has a milky, translucent quality.
Refractive index: 1.577 to 1.583
Birefringence: 0.005 to 0.009
Specific gravity: 2.72
Mohs Hardness: 7.5 to 8.0
