Aquamarine

Aquamarine  is a member of the beryl family, which also includes emerald, morganite and yellow beryl. The word aquamarine is derived from the Latin word for sea-water because the colors can range from shades of green-blue to blue. Although aquamarine gemstones can be easily confused with blue topaz, aquamarine is much more rare and valuable.

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Aquamarine is related to emerald, since both belong to the gemstone family of Beryls. Aquamarine is more frequent in occurrence than its famous green brother, but unlike emerald, aquamarine is usually almost free of inclusions.  Iron is the substance responsible for the color in aquamarine gems, and the shades of blue displayed range from almost colorless pale blue through to bright sea blue. The more intense the color of an aquamarine, the higher its value. Some aquamarines show a slightly greenish hue which is also considered typical. But a really pure and clear blue is still cherished as typical aquamarine color, as it best brings out the immaculate transparency and high brilliance of this gemstone.

Aquamarine possesses a good hardness – 7.5  on the Mohs’ scale. Its good hardness makes it quite robust and protects it generally from getting scratched.  It is tough enough to used as a center stone in any piece of jewelry. Aquamarine is a stone for daytime fun or an evening out.

The prices, uses and value of Aquamarine can differ greatly, depending on the size and quality of the  individual gemstone. Gemnoble is your source for the highest quality colored gems from across the globe, available at Bangkok direct wholesale prices. Creating the finest jewelry starts with finding the best gemstones, and the best gemstones are found at Gemnoble.

Why Buy Loose Gemstones Instead of Pre-Set Jewelry?

There are many reasons, but basically it boils down to value and choice.

When buying your aquamarine gemstone loose instead of a pre-set stone, you can be sure you are getting the best value for your money. Loose gemstones are less expensive, a better value, and you can really see what you are paying for. The most important part of getting the right price and finding the best value is to first see what you’re getting.  A jewelry setting will hide the inclusions inside a gem, and can deepen or brighten its color. With a loose stone you can much more easily inspect the gem and see it for what it really is.  In this way you can get a better idea of its true worth and be sure you are paying a fair price.

The second advantage of buying a loose gemstone is choice.  You are free to pick the exact color, cut, shape and variety of the stone for the setting of your dreams, be it yellow gold, white gold, platinum or silver; prong set or bezel set with diamond accents.  You can experience the joy of creating your very own, one-of-a-kind jewelry design. Choose from a variety of jewelry settings and styles to create a completely original presentation that will perfectly suit your individual gemstone and will be as unique as you are!

At Gemnoble, you will find a large collection of fine quality loose aquamarine gemstones at highly competitive prices. 

Attributes

The aquamarine crystal is generally vertically striated or grooved and pleochroism is distinct in deeply colored crystals. Aquamarine has a vitreous luster. Ocasionally, some specimens of aquamarine display chatoyancy. Aquamarine has imperfect cleavage which runs parallel to the basal pinacoid. Aquamarine is transparent to translucent. Aquamarine’s blue color is due to the presence of Ferrous iron atoms and the presence of ferric iron causes a yellow tint.  It has a specific gravity of 2.68 to 2.74 and a Mohs hardness of from 7.5 to 8. Aquamarine typically is on the low end of the specific gravity range, normally at less than 2.7.

Refractive indices range around 1.57 to 1.58. The refractive index (RI), measured using a refractometer, is an indication of the amount light rays are bent by a mineral. Birefringence is the difference between the minimum and maximum RI. When birefringence is high, light rays reflect off different parts of the back of a stone causing an apparent doubling of the back facets when viewed through the front facet. 

Color 

Aquamarines are found in a range of blue shades, from the palest pastel to greenish-blue to a medium blue. Presence of iron impurities in the chemical composition is responsible for the color of the gemstone and change in its proportion causes the different possible hues. While the choice of color is largely a matter of taste, the deeper blue gemstones are more rare. Some aquamarine fanciers prefer the greenish hues, saying the greener tones remind them more of the sea. Generally this fascinating stone has even distribution of color throughout its surface.

Remember that Aquamarine is a pastel gemstone, and while color can be quite intense in larger gemstones, the smaller aquamarines are often less vivid.

Cut

Cutting rough aquamarine crystals is quite easy. This is the reason why many jewelry designers consider it their pet gemstone. They are able to achieve their imaginative cuts and shapes without difficulty. Aquamarine looks fantastic in every new and modern cut. This has increased the popularity of this gem to an even greater degree. The usual traditional cuts are also seen like rounds, pears, ovals, squares, emeralds, cushions and many more.

Treatments

Many aquamarines are greenish when mined and cut. For those who prefer a purer blue, many of these gemstones are heated at low temperature to enhance their blue color. Yellow-brown or yellow-green stones are heated to 400 to 450 degrees Celsius to bring out a blue color.  Many aquamarine on the market today are heat treated. These treatments are permanent and do not require any special care. 

Gemnoble fully discloses any and all treatments to our gemstones.

Sources

Aquamarines are mined in a number of locations including Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan and Mozambique, but most aquamarine comes from the pegmatites of Minas Gerais Brazil, where crystals weighing several pounds have been found.

Madagascar produces this dazzling stone in dark blue to light blue shades. Brazil offers many large, high quality stones as well. Other sources are from African countries namely Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Nigeria. It is also obtained from the island of Sri Lanka, United States of America, India and Russia. New deposits are found in Pakistan and Afghanistan that yield large amount of gemstones.

Aquamarine occurs at most localities which yield ordinary beryl, with some of the finest coming from Russia. The gem-gravel placer deposits of Sri Lanka contain aquamarine. Clear yellow beryl, such as occurs in Brazil, is sometimes called aquamarine chrysolite. When corundum presents the bluish tint of typical aquamarine, it is often termed Oriental aquamarine.  In the United States, aquamarines can be found at the summit of Mt. Antero in the Sawatch Range in central Colorado. In Brazil, there are mines in the states of Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo and Bahia. Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya also produce aquamarine.

Aquamarine develops in granite pegmatites and certain types of metamorphic rock. It occurs in conjunction with quartz, microcline, muscovite, and almandine in metamorphic pegmatite. Beryl has become an important source of the element beryllium, a metal with a variety of commercial uses, such as in the manufacturing metal alloys.

Mythology

The birthstone for March, legends say that Aquamarine is the treasure of mermaids, with the power to keep sailors safe at sea. Aquamarine protects against the wiles of the devil.

A dream of an Aquamarine gemstone means that you will meet new friends.

Aquamarine blue is a divine and eternal color, since it is, after all, the color of the skies. Aquamarine blue, however, is also the color of water with its life-giving properties.

Aquamarine seems to have managed to embody the light blue of the seas. This is not surprising, for according to legend it has its origin in the treasure chest of the legendary mermaids, and has for ages been reputed to be a lucky stone for sailors.

Ancient sailors traveled with aquamarine crystals, believing that it would ensure a safe passage, and guarantee a safe return; they often slept with the stones under their pillow to ensure sound sleep. They believed the siren’s (mermaid) fish-like lower body was made of aquamarine.

Its name has been derived from the Latin terms “aqua” meaning water, and “mare” or sea.

People in the Middle Ages thought that aquamarine could magically overcome the effects of poison.

Allegedly Aquamarines powers develop best if the stone is immersed in sun-drenched water. However, it seems a wiser course to carry it, because according to ancient traditions, carrying an aquamarine is supposed to guarantee a happy marriage and to make its owner happy and rich at that: the ideal gemstone, not only for lovers and married couples.

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