Aquamarine
Aquamarine, the beautiful blue gemstone
Named after the colour of sea water (from the Latin “Aqua Marina”) Aquamarine is the blue to blue-green member of the Beryl family (which also includes green Sapphire and pink Morganite) and is a valued gem of ancient lineage.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans knew the Aquamarine as the sailor’s gem, ensuring the safe and prosperous passage across stormy seas. In Medieval times, the stone was considered as an antidote for poison. This antidote was widely known throughout Europe as poisonings amongst royalty were a rather popular sport at the time so the gem was in popular demand just for that purpose. It was not necessary to pulverize the stone, as it was with other gemstones, but simply wearing the stone as a pendant or in a ring was just as effective.
Fortunately in more recent times, the stone is used in jewellery for its beauty alone. In the 19th century, sea green varieties of the stone were the most popular whereas today the more blue the colour, the more valuable the stone.
Brazil is the world’s leading source of gem-quality Aquamarine where the largest ever Aquamarine was found in 1910, weighing 243 pounds. It was then cut into smaller stones, yielding over 200,000 carats. Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and the USA are all further sources of Aquamarine.
There are also many beliefs that regard Aquamarine as an “all purpose” healing stone as it treats spiritual and physiological disorders and diseases.
Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March.
