Posted on 6th Feb 2010 @ 11:06 AM

Aquamarine ~ One of Natures Most Beautiful Gemstones
 - by Lisa Coultrup -

The gemstone Aquamarine is a very old gemstone, known through out history. The name Aquamarine is Latin for Water of the Sea. The Romans believed that a figure of a frog carved into a Aquamarine it would facilitate friendship between enemies. In the Middle Ages people thought Aquamarine could help people overcome poisoning and even kindle . Sailors of Ancient times believed that if they had crystals of Aquamarine with them on their ships that it would enable them to have a safe voyage. The sailors also believed that the bodies of Mermaids were made of Aquamarine. It is also said that the Aquamarine was kept in the Treasure Chest of the Mermaids. In 1609 Anselmus de Boodt used the term "Aquamarine" for the first time in his book "Gemmarum at Lapidum Historiia".

In 1912 the American National Association of Jewelers adopted Aquamarine as the birthstone of March. Beryl is also considered to be the birthstone of the Zodiac for the Star Sign Scorpio. For Planetary associated stones Aquamarine is consort stone of Neptune for the sign of Pisces. There are many ways Gemstones are used in conjunction with Birth, such as Talismanic Stones, Mystical Stones, and Ayurvedic Birthstones. If you wish to read further on the subject, a great place to begin is www.bernadine.com.

As a Gemstone for jewelery, Aquamarine has long been considered a fine specimen. Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family and ranges in color from what can be considered colorless pale blue to a deep green-blue or even a Paribia color. The Smithsonian Institute has a section called The Dynamic Earth GeoGallery, where they have housed a example of an Aquamarine Crystal that is 15,256 carats which is 6.7 pounds. This specimen is rare due to its almost total lack of inclusions which indicates the crystal grew in ideal conditions.

Beryl has some beautiful color ranges, from Deep Blue, Green and even Yellow. The colors are caused by impurities in the stone from Iron. Different chemical states of the Iron are how the various colors are made. The Green stones are heated in an electric furnace to 450 * Celsius to change their color from Green to the highly prized Blue color. The Beryl family also consists of Morganite, the Pink varitey of Beryl, Goshenite the colorless variety and Heliodore which is the Yellow variety. There is also the Red variety called Bixbite that is found in Utah.

There have been many mines across the world to produce Aquamarine in the past, although these mines are now getting less and less of the larger stones out of the ground. Aquamarine is found in many Countries around the world. Brazil produces very fine Aquamarine, and is found associated with Topaz and Chrysoberyl in the sands of the Minas Novas district. It is also found in the Ural Mountains and Siberia.

America also has many mines that produce Beryl, such as the Bakersville North Carolina mine where Emerald ( the Green form of Beryl) is found and the Pays Mica Mine in Yancey County North Carolina. Fine Aquamarine has been found in recent times Brush Creek Mountain in Mitchell County North Carolina. Another mine in North Carolina is the GemMountian Mine where you can actually go as a family and mine. All the stones you find, you get to keep and they will even inspect your Gemstone finds for free. They have experienced cutters on site if you wish to get your finds made into Jewelery. Other mines that contain Aquamarine in the United States include the Thompson Beryl Claim in Cochise County Arizona, and the Dixie Queen Mine in Yavapi County Arizona . For more mine locations refer to Mindat.org/min-289.html.

Aquamarine is one of the finest stones for Jewelry, it shows well mounted in either Silver or Gold and has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs Hardness Scale which means it wears well in daily use. One of the most interesting Aquamarine stories is that of Jackie Kenndey Onassis who was given an Earring, Bracelet and Necklace set made of Aquamarine by the President of Brazil. Today, Aquamarine is fast becoming a much sought after Gemstone for the color. Aquamarine will carry you through all Seasons of the Year and sits well with almost every skin tone.

One other place in the United States where you can go view the most glorious Aquamarine today is the Smithsonian in Washington DC. The Smithsonian National Museum of National History has showcases of African Gemstones among which is 6535 Aquamarine from Mozambique gifted to the Smithsonian by Marc and Lily Sarosi of AfricaGems.com.

Sources used in this work:

Wikipedia Aquamarine

Aquamarine Facts, Information and Description

Birthstones List - Information and Charts

The Dynamic GeoGallery - Aquamarine

The Dynamic GeoGallery - Beryl

Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History Showcases

History.com Encyclopedia - Aquamarine

Mine Location Maps

Gem Mountain

Learn About Aquamarine