What is aquamarine?
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family. This stone is known for its blue to blue-green colour. The name comes from the Latin for “sea water”, and aquamarine folklore is usually tied to sailors and the sea. Aquamarine is the birthstone for March and it’s a popular gem that wears well, is readily available, and moderately priced.
Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family and ranges in colour from an almost colourless pale blue to blue-green or teal. The most prize colour is a deep-blue aqua colour. It is 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of hardness and gets its name from Latin words meaning water and sea.
Occurrence
The most valuable aquamarines come from Brazil, but it is also mined in Kenya and Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Russia. . Aquamarines on the market today are usually faceted, but when cut as a cabochon, they may display a cat's eye effect known as asterism.
Some gemstones are heated to high temperatures to enhance the colour and/or clarity of a stone. Aquamarines are often heat treated to change a blue-green or teal coloured stone to a pure blue. This results in a permanent colour change.
Aquamarine Healing Properties
Associated with the Throat chakra, Aquamarine helps overcome the fear of speaking, and is an excellent stone for teachers and presenters of all types. It relaxes speakers to a stage of consciousness in which they are fully aware of their own truths, wisdom and feelings, and able to articulate them with clarity and conviction. It also allows one to speak clearly and without anger in difficult situations.
Aquamarine accelerates the intellectual reasoning processes and enhances the ability for rapid response. It makes one unconquerable through learning, not only about the physical world, but about oneself. It bestows perseverance, discipline and light heartedness.
Aquamarine encourages the ideal of service to the world and to the development of a humanity attuned to healing. It emits a gentle and compassionate energy, promoting moderation and responsibility for ones' actions. It inspires judgemental people to be more tolerant, and helps those overwhelmed by responsibility to find order.
A stone of natural justice, Aquamarine utilises compromise and negotiation, and gives quiet courage and clear reasoned words in confrontational situations. Pass Aquamarine over any written complaints you receive or before you send any out, wear or carry Aquamarine when visiting your child's school because of a complaint, or when resolving neighbourhood disputes over parking or boundaries.
As a travel crystal, greenish blue Aquamarine protects those who journey by sea, alleviating the fear of water, and guards those involved in any long-haul travel such as flying or driving long distances. It is a good stone for learning to swim.
As a love crystal, pale blue Aquamarine encourages a lover to return, helps two people with different lifestyles to live together in harmony, and reduces the effects of sensitive issues that cause quarrels. Aquamarine is often given as a love token or eternity ring, and increases commitment and fidelity "as long as the waters of the earth flow."
Physical Properties of Aquamarine
| Chemical Formula | Be3Al2SiO6 |
| Colour | Blue |
| Hardness | 7.5 - 8.0 |
| Crystal System | Hexagonal |
| Refractive Index | 1.57 - 1.58 |
| SG | 2.6 - 2.8 |
| Transparency | Transparent to translucent |
| Double Refraction | .006 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Cleavage | 3,1 - basal |
| Mineral Class | Beryl (Aquamarine) |
