Aquamarine is the birthstone for March

Aquamarine's name comes from the Latin for seawater and it was said to calm waves and keep sailors safe at sea.

Also thought to enhance the happiness of marriages. The best gems combine high clarity with limpid transparency and blue to slightly greenish blue hues. Aquamarine and emerald belong to the same family of beryllium aluminum silicates, but they are surprisingly different.

Aquamarine color's is the result of iron impurities within colorless beryl crystal. Aquamarine and emerald have essentially the same specific gravity and refractive index, but emerald tends to be hazy and full of inclusions, whilst aquamarine has excellent transparency and clarity. A dark and deeply saturated blue is the most desirable and valuable aquamarine color.

The largest find of gemstone quality aquamarine dates back to 1910 when the "Minas Gerais" mine in Marambaya, Brazil, unearthed a stone of 243 lb (110.5 kg), 18 inches (48.5 cm) long and 15.5 inches in diameter. The 'Don Pedro', weighing 26 kg and cut in Idar-Oberstein, Germany in 1992 by the gemstone designer Bernd Munsteiner, is the largest single piece of aquamarine to have ever been cut.

For Aquamarine can typically be identified by its unique sea-blue colors. It is rather hard and has a vitreous luster. Aquamarine stones have excellent clarity and transparency compared to many other similar gems, the intensity of color and the clarity of the stone are the most important criteria when evaluating aquamarine, followed closely by quality of cut.

Aquamarine Properties:

Chemical Formula: Al2Be3Si6O18, Aluminum beryllium silicate

Crystal Structure: Hexagonal, hexagonal prisms

Color: Light-blue to dark-blue, blue-green

Hardness: 7.5 - 8 on the Mohs scale

Refractive Index: 15.64 - 1.596

Density: 2.68 - 2.74

Transparency: Translucent to opaque

Double Refraction or Birefringence: -0.004 to -0.005

Lustre: Vitreous

According to legend, aquamarine originated in the treasure chest of fabulous mermaids, and has since ancient times, been regarded as 'the sailor's lucky stone'

The Greeks and the Romans knew aquamarine as the sailor's gem too, believing that it ensured a safe and prosperous passage across stormy seas. Legend has it that aquamarines were the prized possessions of many mermaids and would thus protect sailors from the dangers of sea, including warding off sea-sickness.

Aquamarine to healing level is best used in contact with the skin, especially close to the injured or troubled part of the body. Aquamarine is said to be of help for arthritis, eye inflammation, sore throat and varicose veins.