I love aquamarine.
The delicate pale sea blue of this semi precious stone is so fine and feminine.
Maybe I have an affinity with it because it is my birthstone – or maybe I just love semi precious stones and silver crystal jewellery anyway!
This beautiful crystal has a soft and uplifting healing energy and helps to impart confidence in its wearer.
Birthstones are an important part of current jewelry culture. Many people know a lot about some of these gems – for instance, April’s birthstone is diamond, which is a highly coveted and well-known gem. Those born in May are lucky enough to have the emerald as their birthstone – another well loved gem. One gem that isn’t as well known as some of the others is March’s birthstone, which is aquamarine.
Aquamarine, which takes its name from the Latin term aqua marina (which means ‘water of the sea’), is a transparent light blue or blue green gem, and a member of the beryl family. The colors for this gem can range from just a barely there tint of color (looking almost clear like a diamond) to a brighter, more blue green hue. Aquamarine is considered a semiprecious gemstone, with the precious gemstones being diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. It is not as costly as these gems, and may be easier to find.
Aquamarine is not a delicate gem, the way that emeralds are, although they are both beryl gems. Green beryl, known as emerald, is a softer and more easily fractured gem – which is why it is more expensive to obtain. Aquamarine is sturdier, and larger carat weights can be found due to the fact that when it is mined the crystals can be kept in relatively big pieces. Aquamarines can be found in several places on the globe, from Colorado in the United States to Brazil and several African countries. The largest gem of this type ever found was mined in Brazil, it weighed over 110 kg.
March’s birthstone is often paired with white colored metals, such as white gold and silver, because of the complimentary cool tones of the aquamarine and silver. If the stone is very light when it is mined, the aquamarine jewelry may be heat treated in order to bring out a deeper blue color. In aquamarine jewelry, the darker the stone is the more money it is worth. Some women choose the lighter versions of aquamarine for a specific reason, however, and that is because they are an excellent substitute for diamonds in jewelry like engagement rings and stud earrings.
While aquamarine may not be the rarest or most expensive member of the beryl family, it is still a beautiful stone worthy of any jewelry piece. The transparent turquoise blue of a good aquamarine stone is unrivaled in beauty, and there are no other gems that come close to attaining that specific type of coloration.
Main article by: Arsene Bergkamp
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Find jewelry stores and information at JewelryStoresforyou.com.
What is your experience of aquamarine? Does it speak to you? What is your favourite crystal stone? It would be great to hear from you and see your comments below. Please feel free to share.
