Beryl · March birthstone
Aquamarine
Sea-water beryl, clean, bright and generous in size.
- Hardness
- Mohs 7.5
- Toughness
- Good
- Daily wear
- Good for daily wear
- Price tier
- USD 200 to 1,500 per carat, fine quality
- Colours
- Light blue, Blue-green, Deep blue
- Origins
- Brazil, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan
Aquamarine is blue beryl, emerald’s clean sibling. It forms in large, flawless crystals, so eye-clean stones of ten carats and more are affordable. The finest colour is a deep, slightly greenish blue; most stones are paler. Hard enough for rings with reasonable care.
How to buy aquamarine
Colour is everything and pale stones are common: pay for saturation. Larger stones show better colour. Avoid stones with a green tint unless you like it, as most are heated to remove it.
Treatments
Heating to remove green tints is common and accepted.
Care
Warm soapy water; ultrasonic is usually safe for clean stones.
Lore
Sailors carried aquamarine as protection at sea; the name means sea water in Latin.
