Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the name used for gem-quality specimens of the mineral beryl within a color range of greenish blue to blue. The name is used regardless of a stone's tone or saturation. So, aquamarines can range from a very light, almost imperceptible color to stones with a rich vibrant color. Most aquamarine has a very light color, which can be almost unnoticeable in very small stones. Stones with a rich blue color are the most popular.

They are also the rarest and most valuable. The name aquamarine is derived from a combination of two Latin words: aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea - the color of the sea. The greenish blue to blue color of aquamarine is caused by trace amounts of iron. The iron can occur in two oxidation states. Ferrous iron (Fe2+) is responsible for blue color, and ferric iron (Fe3+) is responsible for yellow color (which combines with the blue color to produce greenish blue).

Most natural aquamarine has a greenish blue color. Most gem-quality aquamarine crystals form in cavities below Earth's surface during the late stages of a magma body's crystallization. The cavities provide open space for crystals to grow. The slow underground cooling rate provides the time needed for the development of large crystals. And, the late-stage timing provides the fluids and a supply of the beryllium needed to form beryl, a beryllium mineral.

Aquamarine is usually found in granite pegmatites. Another source is from veins in metamorphic rocks that were mineralized by hydrothermal activity. If rocks containing aquamarine are exposed by weathering and erosion, the exceptional hardness of aquamarine (7. 5 to 8 on the Mohs scale) will cause it to persist in overlying soils and stream sediments. Much aquamarine has been produced from stream sediments.

Where it is found in stream sediments suggests that a primary deposit is located upstream. Said to have fallen from the treasure chest of a mermaid. In the folklore of Greek and Roman myths, Aquamarine became the sacred jewel of Neptune. Believing the jewel had powers to claim stormy waters as well as protect seafarers from peril. While early Romans referred to the stone as the sailor’s gem.

With first documented use in ancient Greece ranging between 480 to 300 BC. To mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, she was gifted the aquamarine necklace from Rio De Jannero and in 1957, she commissioned the tiara to match. This was her favorite set.