Aquamarine Properties, Meaning, Facts and Photos
| Contents 1. What is Aquamarine? 2. Megan Markle's Aquamarine Ring 3. Article Pictures 4. Shop Aquamarine |
What is Aquamarine?
Aquamarine is the blue-green variety of the mineral beryl, which, in its own right, is relatively unknown as a gemstone.
Light blue aquamarine tends to be the most popular but is often heat-treated. This shade can sometimes be mistaken for Sky Blue Topaz, which is also heat-treated.
Meghan Markle wore a large aquamarine cocktail ring on her wedding day that originally belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales.
An aquamarine tiara, necklace, and earrings were made for the late Queen Elizabeth II. All three featured large, rectangular aquamarine gemstones set with diamonds. The president of Brazil gave her the necklace and earrings in 1953 as a coronation gift.
The tiara was designed to match the necklace and earrings in 1957, and a year later, the queen was given a bracelet and brooch to complete the set.
The colour of aquamarine, which comes from impurities of iron, varies from the deepest shade of green to the lightest blue. The more iron in the mineral's crystal structure, the deeper the colour.
On the Mohs scale of hardness, aquamarine grades 7.5 to 8, so it's relatively hard.
Most of the finest aquamarine comes from Brazil, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia, Angola and India.
Aquamarine is the birthstone for March on the on the Modern Birthstone Chart. On the Traditional Chart, it's the alternative for tourmaline.
The mineral beryl is associated with the zodiac sign of Scorpio, so aquamarine, the blue variety of beryl, is often used instead.
Aquamarine is a captivating gemstone renowned for its blue-green colour. The name comes from the Latin word 'aqua marina,' meaning 'water of the sea.' For this reason, when used for its metaphysical healing properties, it has long been associated with the soothing, calming energies of water.
Ancient sailors believed the mermaid's tail was made from pure aquamarine, so stones were often carried for luck and protection.
Article Pictures
The aquamarine in our photo at the top of this article is from Brazil. It's housed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C. Photo by Stone Mania.
The second photo is from an article in Elle magazine.
The aquamarine in the third photo is courtesy of Stan Celestian.
Photos are clickable and redirect to the original image.
Pop-up photo: Aquamarine on Feldspar - Courtesy of Alan English.
