Aquamarine
Family: Beryl
Color: Greenish blue to blue
Mohs Hardness: 7.5-8
Seawater has a mystical healing power. The gentle lap of the ocean, the soothing flush of the waves, the rocking of a boat up and down, side to side... I am starting to get a little seasick thinking about the sea. Good thing March's birthstone, Aquamarine, is believed to ward off seasickness!
The beautiful light greenish blue of the gorgeous Aquamarine gem is reminiscent of sea water. No wonder that is where it derived its name! Aquamarine's name is of Latin origin: aqua (for water) and marina (for the sea).
Aquamarine is from the same family of gemstones as Emerald: Beryl. Unlike it's Emerald relative, which is prized for its jardin of inclusions, Aquamarine is typically inclusion-free, making it a dream gemstone for interesting cutting styles and techniques.
This gorgeous aquamarine cabochon displays a very rare phenomenon for an aquamarine. Aquamarine is almost always free of inclusions, however, this cabochon has a series of needle-like inclusions running parallel to each other. This causes a cat's eye to appear running perpendicular to those inclusions when you rock the stone side to side under light! Very rare for an Aqua. How cool!!
The most valued color of Aquamarine is a bright blue with very little to no green secondary hue. Recently, I have found several incredibly vivid aquamarine gemstones that I have used in custom pieces. Every time I see a nice quality Aquamarine, I fall even more in love with the stone and want to plan my next tropical get away!
