Indian gold jewellery | Jewelry designs | Silver jewelers | Jewels Guide

Aquamarine is a gemstone-quality transparent variety of beryl, having a delicate blue or turquoise color, suggestive of the tint of seawater. It is closely related to the gem emerald. Colors vary, and in addition to blue, yellow beryl (heliodor), rose pink beryl (morganite), red beryl (formerly bixbite), and white beryl (goshenite) are also to be found.

The name Aquamarines refers to the pale blue, light blue-green and also light green variety of beryl. The most valuable color of Aquamarines is a rich, sky blue color. But since the stone is pleochroic, the blue stones also have got a greenish blue tinge in one direction.

The large Aquamarines ranging from many carats to a few tens of carats, are mostly common. Many of the stones are virtually free of inclusions. Generally where there is plenty of material available, stones of poor quality do not come to the market. The luster is glassy and nothing exceptional. The most common cut available is the emerald type, however, mixed oval or pear-shaped cuts are also found.

The color of this gemstone distinguishes itself fairly easily. It ranges from blue topaz and light-blue synthetic spinel color. The first one is a definite blue color, while the second one is having a gray or violet tinge. It has got much stronger luster and no pleochroism at all.

Most aquamarines comes from the pegmatites of Brazil, where crystals having several kilos of weight have been found. Aquamarines are also found in the Soviet Union, Transbaikalia, Urals, Siberia, Madagascar, and in the United States. This gemstone has been recently found in Afghanistan as well.

Rich blue stones of several carats in weight are among the most costly of the secondary gems. The price is much more than blue topaz of similar characteristics. Pale or green Aquamarines are much less valuable.

Aquamarine is mostly imitated by blue glass, which easily reproduces the color. It is also imitated by blue synthetic spinel, of a different color, with better luster and no pleochroism. Due to the general similarity, this is sometimes also called synthetic aquamarine, although the latter one is not produced. Aquamarines are popular gemstones that are used in jewelry designing.