Aquamarine

Aquamarine is blue beryl — kin to emerald, yet far clearer and more durable, Mohs hardness 7.5–8. Heating to drive off the green and leave a pure blue is the norm, and the colour is stable and undiminished in value. It is March’s birthstone, made for a fresh air and everyday wear.

About Aquamarine

Aquamarine is blue beryl, kin to emerald and morganite, coloured by traces of iron, hardness 7.5–8, and usually clean and clear. It stands in contrast to its heavily fractured cousin, emerald — few inclusions, high clarity. Its blue ranges from a shallow-water sky-blue to a deep-sea saturated blue.

Why Choose an Aquamarine

Aquamarine is March’s birthstone, blue as a body of seawater, an ancient talisman of sailors promising safe passage and a safe return. Clean, hard-wearing, and able to grow large and clean — it is one of the few beautiful stones that offer “large and clean” at a reasonable price, ideal for a fresh air and daily wear.

History & Famous Stones

Aquamarine has been a sailor’s talisman since antiquity, promising a safe return; that seawater blue grows large and clean, and has become some of the most monumental works in gem history. A few great pieces tell the weight of that blue:

• The Dom Pedro: 10,363 carats, the largest cut aquamarine in the world — carved into a near-36-centimetre obelisk by Bernd Munsteiner, the “father of the fantasy cut”, named after Brazil’s two emperors, and now in the Smithsonian.
• The Roosevelt Aquamarine: 1,298 carats, given by Brazil to the American First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1936.

The Truth About Aquamarine

Heating to a pure blue is the norm and stable (no loss of value); deeper colour is dearer (Santa Maria); beware Maxixe irradiated blue, which fades.

• Truth one: heating is the norm, and stable. Gentle heat drives off the green and leaves a pure blue — standard practice in the aquamarine trade, and the resulting blue is stable.
• Truth two: deeper colour is dearer. Most sought is a medium-to-deep blue with no green; the trade takes the Brazilian Santa Maria mine as its colour benchmark (now a colour grade).
• Truth three: beware Maxixe irradiated blue. An irradiated deep blue looks enchanting at first, but is unstable and fades over time.
• Truth four: it is clean by nature, so heavy inclusions or cloudiness are worth an extra question about the price.

Aquamarine on the Market

Tell apart natural heated (normal), Maxixe irradiated blue (fades) and glass / synthetic-spinel imitation.

Type	Traits	Price	How to tell
Natural · heated	Pure blue, stable colour	Standard	Heating is normal
Maxixe irradiated blue	Deep blue but fades	Low	Must be declared; fades over time
Blue glass / synthetic spinel	Lifeless colour	Low	Gas bubbles, colour banding
Santa Maria (colour grade)	Medium-deep blue, no green	High	A colour grade, not an origin guarantee

Before You Buy

Choose a medium-to-deep blue with no green; heating you can accept with confidence, but ask whether it is Maxixe irradiated (which fades).

• Colour: a medium-to-deep blue with no green wears best and holds value best.
• Heating you can accept with confidence; but ask whether it is Maxixe irradiated.
• Hard and tough enough — warm water and a soft brush, and generally fine in ultrasonic (unless obviously fractured).
• Avoid prolonged sun and high heat, lest the colour pale.