By Chelsea Reed
As the birthstone of March and the gemstone for 19th wedding anniversaries, the aquamarine’s graceful blues easily recall the still waters at a peaceful beach. This widely-known stone has many myths and folktales surrounding it, along with some great facts to tell your friends. See how many of these facts you know!
Not surprisingly, aquamarine is a name derived from the two Latin words aqua and marina, which mean “water” and “ocean.” But did you know aquamarines used to be called sea-green beryl? They were called this name for hundreds of years until the 1600s when the aquamarine name first became popular.
Despite their differences in value, both aquamarines and emeralds belong to the same family of beryl gems. Sometimes they’re even mined from the same vein! Emeralds are more valuable because they are a more fragile type of beryl. Aquamarines are beryl with a sea green-bluish color instead. But aquamarines can also become quite valuable on the market if their natural colors are more intense. It depends on factors such as inclusions, color, clarity, strength, and so on.
Speaking of more intense colors, aquamarines can easily be heat treated to create a gorgeous rich blue color. But jewelers can’t cheat the system! If this is done, the treatment must clearly be advertised and the value becomes less. If it isn’t advertised, then the stone goes against industry standards.
It’s called the Dom Pedro, and it weighs in at 10,363 carats! This magnificent gem tower appears to glow from within. It was originally mined from the Minas Gerais region in Brazil and was named after the two first Brazilian emperors. The Dom Pedro currently resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Aquamarines are mined all over the world from China to Mozambique. The current largest producer of aquamarines is Brazil. But some of the best specimens have come from right here in the United States in Colorado! Naturally, the state’s official gemstone is aquamarine.
Find aquamarine and other beautiful treasures to remind you of the vast open ocean that makes the Outer Banks a special place. Whether you live here locally or are just visiting, Seaside Art Gallery has the quality gift you’re looking for! Take a look now at our online estate jewelry collection.
Chelsea Reed is a copywriter who writes winning content, articles, blogs, and websites from her base in North Carolina. She might not be building sandcastles or swashbuckling with pirates these days, but the Outer Banks beaches continue to keep her young at heart.
