Aquamarine History, Meaning, Healing Properties, Benefits, and Uses

Introduction

We all have heard of the beautiful aquamarine gemstone, which is a variety of beryl minerals. The aquamarine stone is greatly desired for the stunning greenish-blue to blue color it possesses. When people wear aquamarine jewelry, its calming tones remind the wearer of the clean waters of the ocean, and it gives off the vibes of the world’s most exotic beaches, like the Bahamas or the Caribbean. The word aquamarine itself depicts what it represents: aqua which means water and marine which means the sea. This beryl is used to make beautiful gemstone jewelry and aquamarine also serves as the March birthstone. If you know someone whose birthday is coming up in March, do think of gifting them an aquamarine ring, aquamarine bracelet, aquamarine earring, or aquamarine pendant.

What is Aquamarine Stone?

We all know that aquamarine is a beryl. To be specific, the aquamarine stone is basically composed of beryllium aluminum silicate, and it is related to the mineral family of emeralds, heliodor, and morganite. The beautiful blue-to-greenish-blue hues that it showcases are because of trace amounts of iron present inside the structure of the crystal. Throughout history, the aquamarine stone has been linked with various symbolic meanings. The New Age Community regards aquamarine as a symbol of youth, eternal life, and hope. While, the crystal healer community speaks highly of this stone and claims that aquamarine jewelry promotes emotional balance, calmness, and clarity in the wearer’s body.

Aquamarine stone is mostly used in making beautiful gemstone jewelry, and you will rarely find carvings, figurines, or sculptures made of this gemstone. Generally, you will find an aquamarine cut and faceted into various shapes in order to set the stone inside rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

When it comes to the care and maintenance of aquamarine jewelry, you would be pleased to know that aquamarine is a durable stone. However, aquamarine jewelry is susceptible to damage and scratches, and this is the reason why you need to be cautious when it comes to your aquamarine piece and protect it from sharp blows or tough handling. It is also advisable that you store your aquamarine jewelry in a separate compartment in your jewelry box so as to prevent it from scratches. And here comes the best part: cleaning aquamarine is so easy that you won’t believe it! Just use warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush to clean your favorite aquamarine jewelry – all grime and dirt will wash away with ease if you use this technique.

Interesting Facts about Aquamarine Gemstone

Aquamarine is an interesting stone in and of itself, and here are some of the facts regarding this beautiful beryl mineral:

1. Chemical Composition: The chemical formula of aquamarine is Be3Al2Si6O18, which is why it is called beryllium aluminum silicate.

2. Color: Aquamarine exhibits a range of hues from blue to greenish-blue, that vary in intensity, because of which you will find pale aquamarines as well as vibrant aquamarines. This beautiful color of aquamarine is caused because of trace amounts of iron present in its crystal structure.

3. Transparency: Generally, you will find aquamarines to be transparent or translucent. The ones that are of higher quality tend to showcase better transparency, allowing light to pass the crystal without much obstruction.

4. Hardness: Aquamarines rank between 7.5 and 8 on the Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness (out of 10). This is why they are relatively hard and highly durable. But there is something that you need to make a note of - high hardness does not mean that the stone would be resistant to breakage. The Moh’s rating indicates that aquamarine is resistant to scratching.

5. Luster: The luster exhibited by aquamarine stone is vitreous to resinous. After the aquamarine gemstone is cut and polished properly into various facets, it showcases a glass-like shine and a brilliant sheen.

6. Chemical Stability: Aquamarine stone is chemically stable, which is why it shows resistance to most acids and chemicals. It does not dissolve or react with things such as household cleaners, soaps, and detergents and it is fit for normal household conditions.

7. Fluorescence: When aquamarine stone is exposed to moderate blue ultraviolet (UV) light, it exhibits weak to moderate fluorescence and shines in blue color.

Mining Locations of Aquamarine Stone

The aquamarine gemstone that is used to make appealing aquamarine jewelry is found in various locations worldwide. The occurrence of aquamarine is dependent on various geological factors, like the presence of suitable rock formations, hydrothermal processes, and specific geological environments. Here are some of the regions where you may find aquamarine gemstones:

1. Brazil: One of the biggest producers of aquamarine gemstones is none other than Brazil. In Brazil, the state of Minas Gerais is particularly famous for its high-quality aquamarine deposits. Within Minas Gerais, the mines of the Teofilo Otoni region and Jequitinhonha Valley produce top-quality aquamarine crystals.

2. Madagascar: Another important source of aquamarine gemstone is the world’s fourth largest island, Madagascar. The southern part of Madagascar, especially the Ilakaka area, has significant deposits of aquamarine gemstones. The speciality of Madagascar deposits is, the aquamarine specimens found here are large in size.

3. Nigeria: The Jos Plateau region of Nigeria is known for its aquamarine deposits. The aquamarine specimens found here showcase an intense blue coloration along with high transparency.

4. Zambia: In Zambia, aquamarine is extracted from the Kariba area. The aquamarine crystals found in this region exhibit a range of colors, from light blue to deep blue to greenish-blue.

5. Pakistan: The Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan is known for its aquamarine deposits. Within this region, only the Shigar, Skardu, and Hunza valleys produce aquamarine crystals of desirable clarity and color.

6. Russia: The Ural Mountain region of Russia is famous worldwide for its aquamarine deposits. Within this region, there are two mines - the Murzinka mine and the Mursinka mine – that yield aquamarine crystals of the highest grade.

The above are the most notable deposits of aquamarine. Other locations where small deposits of aquamarine can be found are Myanmar (Burma), Afghanistan, Mozambique, India, China, Tanzania, Namibia, and the United States (specifically California and Colorado).

Conclusion

Aquamarine is a collector’s stone due to its captivating blue tone, and the brilliance, and transparency it possesses. When aquamarine is used in making aquamarine jewelry, it is often cut and faceted into various shapes, such as the oval cut, the emerald cut, the round cut, and the pear cut. You will find a wide range of gemstone jewelry when it comes to aquamarine – from aquamarine rings and aquamarine pendants to aquamarine bracelets and aquamarine necklaces. Another specialty of aquamarine is, that it can be set into a range of metal settings, and it does not matter whether you use gold or 925 sterling silver as base metal, your aquamarine jewelry will look equally stunning. As a side note: lately, many people are ditching diamond rings and buying aquamarine engagement rings instead – since aquamarine as an engagement stone is trendy nowadays.

If you are reading up until this point, we guess that you have a keen interest in purchasing aquamarine jewelry. In case you are planning to invest in aquamarine jewelry, head straight to Sagacia Jewelry – the best online portal to purchase birthstone jewelry, gemstone jewelry, and sterling silver jewelry. The current stock of aquamarine jewelry we have is statement jewelry that is made in pure 925 sterling silver. Other than aquamarine gemstone jewelry, we deal in various other sterling silver jewelry as well, such as azurite malachite jewelry, black onyx jewelry, blue topaz jewelry, garnet jewelry, K2 Jasper jewelry, and Super Seven jewelry. If you are looking for silver chains that complement 925 sterling silver jewelry, we have that as well. Hope that you had a fun time reading this blog. Make sure that you check other blogs at Sagacia Jewelry as well.