Aquamarine Stone

Aquamarine stone has been derived from the Latin terms "aqua" meaning water, and "mare" or sea. Aquamarine is a transparent pale blue to light greenish blue variety of beryl used as a gemstone. A truly fascinating stone, Aquamarine is the source of inspiration for the artists for innovative cuts than from other stones.

Related to Emerald, Aquamarine belongs to the gemstone family of Beryls with the color being more evenly distributed in Aquamarine than in Emerald. Aquamarine is usually free of inclusions and possesses a superior brilliance. The more intense the color of an Aquamarine, the higher its value.

The variety of shades of Aquamarine are known by their unique names: "Santa Maria" is the name for the rare Aquamarine found in the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil. Some other are denoted as "Santa Maria Africana" found in Aquamarine gemstone mines Mozambique, in Africa. Those from Brazil are given the name "Espirito Santo" from the state of Espirito Santo.

Aquamarine Formation

Aquamarine stone is formed at the time when millions of years ago magma flows under the layers of rock in a mountain rage. This magma then is chilled down by the environment along with Earth's crust. The crystals thus formed are today known as diamond, ruby, aquamarine and other such precious and semi-precious stones depending upon the kind of mineral, dust and magma it is having. The size of the crystal depends upon the cooling rate. If the cooling rate is very sluggish then the size is large. The color of aquamarine stone ranges from pale blue to blue-green and teal.

Aquamarine stone is found in granite. With the cooling of Earth, cracks appeared in granite and thus cavities were formed. These cavities were then filled with magma. This magma then cooled naturally to give aquamarine gemstone.

Aquamarine Stone Meaning

It is the "stone of courage" with flowing and structured energy. People wearing this stone have higher level of consciousness and they are able to understand complex situations very comfortably.

Aquamarine Stone Value

Aquamarine stone is almost a clear stone that is of rich blue color. The color is because of the small amount of iron. Because of the shining look it is given a faceted cut so that each face jazz with the light. You can clean it with very soft soap and warm water but be careful while choosing the detergent as it should not be so hard. Also keep this stone away from heat as heating changes its color.

Aquamarine Carat

Carat is a unit of weight equal to 1/5th of a gram or 1/142nd of an ounce. Huge gemstones are usually used for making the pendants. The price of aquamarine stone increases with the carat. Hence more the carat more will be the price.

Aquamarine Cut

Cut is a very significant feature that determines the worth of any precious as well as semi-precious stone. Cut is the manner in which aquamarine has been shaped and polished to give the final stone. Cut actually leads to the angles at which the stone reflects light and is called faceting. A good quality cut determines the deepness of color and give quality of appearance to the stone. Now how this stone has been cut will determine its value. Uneven cut and facets at improper angles result in reduced sparkle. Also in these cases there will be leaking of light at the bottom of the stone. The stone should be cut in a way that every cut is even, facets are at right angle that reflect light and there is no leaking of light.

Aquamarine Color

Color of this stone is blue without green or gray. The highest quality of aquamarine is clear and without blemishes although every stone do have some or other kind of blemishes.

Aquamarine Clarity

Ideally speaking aquamarine stone is perfectly clear. Still many aquamarine stones have the inclusions so usually less sparkling. More the inclusions more opaque will be the gemstones and thus will have less value and clarity. Terrible clarity aquamarine stones are generally opaque and because of this reason these are used as bead rather than faceted stone.

Aquamarine Stone Benefits

As per the English Mythology – Aquamarine stone is the treasure of the mermaid and also acts as a savior for sailors. Also it is wore and kept under the pillow for a peaceful sleep. In the Middle Ages it was even believed that this stone possessed the health ornate properties and so kept to protect themselves from poison. Aquamarine stone is also helpful in healing the swollen glands and to strengthen the teeth, bones as well as glands. It is considered beneficial to eyes.