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Aquamarine - the symbol of hope and optimism

​​​​​​​Aquamarine is most often light in tone, ranging from palish blue to blue-green; the color usually is more intense in larger stones, and darker blue stones are very valuable. The green in aquamarine is a watery green without any trace of yellow and is due to iron, not chromium.

The name aquamarine derives from Latin

The name "aquamarine" originates from the Latin words "aqua" and "marina," meaning sea water. The Romans often used aquamarines in jewelry and aquamarines were given as wedding gifts, symbolizing the atmosphere of young love. In the middle ages the gem was cut as a crystal ball and thought to be a superior stone for fortune telling.

Aquamarine is the birthstone of March.

The specific term aquamarine was used in the great gemmological work, Gemmerarum et Lapidum History, by Anselm de Boodt, published in 1609 and the gem dates back to the time between 480 and 300 BC.

Here, you can find aquamarine

This gemstone is primarily mined in Brazil but is also found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Colorado, Pakistan, and Mozambiqu. The previously known deposit at the Ural Mountains in Russia seems to be exhausted. They started mining aquamarine in 1811 in Brazil and some of the largest aquamarines have been found in Brazil. Aquamarine grows in large, six-sided crystals that can be up to a foot long.

Familar to emeralds, aquamarine is a variety of the mineral called bery. Beryllium is the fourth element of the periodic table with the chemical symbol Be. The element was first identified in 1798, as a component of beryl by the French chemist and pharmacy.

Aquamarine has the hardness 7½-8 on Mohs' scale.

Famous aquamarines

The largest aquamarine was discovered in Brazil in 1910, weighing over 120 kg. It was subsequently cut into smaller stones, collectively totaling over 200,000 carats. A substantial collection of aquamarines is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. In addition, at the British Museum of Natural History in London, there is a captivating lake-green aquamarine weighing 879.5 carats.