variety of the mineral beryl. Other gemstone color varieties that belong to
beryl include emerald, morganite, and heliodor. Other colors of beryl are
simply referred to by their colour, such as red beryl. Most gem aquamarines
have been heat treated to produce the popular blue-green varieties from less
desirable yellow or pale stones.
Its light blue arouses feelings of sympathy, trust, harmony and friendship.
Good feelings. Feelings which are based on mutuality and which prove their
worth in lasting relationships. The blue of aquamarine is a divine, eternal
color, because it is the color of the sky. However, aquamarine blue is also
the colour of water with its life-giving force. And aquamarine really does
seem to have captured the lucid blue of the oceans. No wonder, when you
consider that according to the saga it originated in the treasure chest of
fabulous mermaids, and has, since ancient times, been regarded as the
sailors' lucky stone. Its name is derived from the Latin aqua (water) and
mare (sea). It is said that its strengths are developed to their best
advantage when it is placed in water which is bathed in sunlight. However,
it is surely better still to wear aquamarine, since according to the old
traditions this promises a happy marriage and is said to bring the woman who
wears it joy and wealth into the bargain. An ideal gem, not only for loving
and married couples.
Treatments - Almost all aquamarine is heat-treated to enhance its blue
color. Irradiation with neutron, gamma rays or with x-rays. Colour change is
permanent and is an accepted practice. A morganite (pink beryl) turns deep
purple blue (Maxixe type) upon ultraviolet irradiation, though the color is
not stable.
History - The word aquamarine comes from the Latin for sea water. In 1910 a
243 lb. crystal was found in Brazil. The outside was greenish and the inside
was blue. It sold for $25,000 and was cut into many high quality gems. The
American Museum of Natural History has a 13 lb. uncut piece of the green
outside portion.
Aquamarine (Lat. aqua marina, "water of the sea") is a gemstone-quality
transparent variety of beryl, having a delicate blue or blue-green color,
suggestive of the tint of sea-water. It's closely related to the gem
emerald. Colors vary and yellow beryl, called heliodor; rose pink beryl,
morganite; and white beryl, goshenite are known.
Aquamarine is one of our most popular and best-known gemstones, and
distinguishes itself by many good qualities. It is almost as popular as the
classics: ruby, sapphire and emerald. In fact it is related to the emerald,
both belonging to the beryl family. The color of aquamarine, however, is
usually more even than that of the emerald. Much more often than its famous
green cousin, aquamarine is almost entirely free of inclusions. Aquamarine
has good hardness (7_ to 8 on the Mohs scale) and a wonderful shine.
That hardness makes it very tough and protects it to a large extent from
scratches. Iron is the substance which gives aquamarine its color, a colour
which ranges from an almost indiscernible pale blue to a strong sea-blue.
The more intense the color of an aquamarine, the more value is put on it.
Some aquamarines have a light, greenish shimmer; that too is a typical
feature. However, it is a pure, clear blue that continues to epitomise the
aquamarine, because it brings out so well the immaculate transparency and
magnificent shine of this gemstone.
The bright blue of this noble beryl is making more and more friends. The
various color nuances of aquamarine have melodious names: the rare, intense
blue aquamarines from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil, which make
every gemstone lover's heart beat faster, are called 'Santa Maria'. Similar
nuances come from a few gemstone mines in Africa, particularly Mozambique.
To help distinguish them from the Brazilian ones, these aquamarines have
been given the name 'Santa Maria Africana'. The 'Espirito Santo' colour of
aquamarines from the Brazilian state of that name is of a blue that is not
quite so intense. Yet other qualities are embodied in the stones from
Fortaleza and Marambaia. One beautiful aquamarine color was named after the
Brazilian beauty queen of 1954, and has the name 'Martha Rocha'.
It can be seen from the names of aquamarine colors just how important Sri
Lanka and Brazil are among the countries where aquamarine is found. Most of
the raw crystals for the world market come from the gemstone mines of that
large South American country. Every now and then, large aquamarine crystals
of immaculate transparency are also found with a magnificent color, a
combination which is very unusual in gemstones. And very occasionally,
sensationally large aquamarine crystals come to light in Brazil, such as the
crystal of 110.5 Kg found in 1910 in Marambaia/Minas Gerais, or for example
the 'Dom Pedro', weighing 26 Kg and cut in Idar-Oberstein in 1992 by the
gemstone designer Bernd Munsteiner, the largest aquamarine ever to have been
cut. However, aquamarines are also found in other countries, for example
Nigeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
There is hardly any other gemstone in modern jewellery design which is
refined in such a variety of ways as aquamarine. Whether it is fashioned as
a clear, transparent gem in the classical step cut, or creatively cut in a
more modern design, it is always fascinatingly beautiful. Uncut too, or with
many inclusions which can be brought into play by the designer in the way in
which the stone is cut, it can be refined to produce the most beautiful
creations.
Designers call it their favourite gemstone. Again and again they take the
world by surprise with a new, modern artistic cut, and when they are
breaking new ground, aquamarine is a gem that they particularly like to work
with.
Without doubt, these creative designer cuts have contributed to the great
popularity of this gem. The lucid colour of aquamarine makes it easy to see
inclusions. For this reason, aquamarine should always be of the greatest
possible transparency. On the other hand, particularly charming effects can
sometimes be achieved in the way the gemstone is cut by bringing the
inclusions into play. The light color of aquamarine leaves the gemstone
designer free to bring out the brilliance of the gem with fine grooves,
notches, curves and edges. In this way, each aquamarine becomes a unique
specimen, whose magical attraction no woman can resist.
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