the blue gemstone and March birthstone (2024)

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A popular blue gemstone and birthstone for the month of March.


Author: Hobart M. King, PhD, GIA Graduate Gemologist


the blue gemstone and March birthstone (1)

Faceted Aquamarine: The blue color of aquamarine ranges from a blue color that is so faint that it is almost imperceptible to a blue color that is rich and vibrant. There is an enormous difference in price between a stone with a faint blue color and a similar stone with a vibrant blue color. Shop with that in mind. Many people find a stone that fits their budget in the middle of the color range. Image copyright iStockphoto / dolphinphoto.

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What is 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. [1]

Table of Contents


the blue gemstone and March birthstone (2) What is Aquamarine?
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (3) Aquamarine: Birthstone of March
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (4)
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (5) Aquamarine Gemology
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (6) Aquamarine Color and Treatment
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (7) Maxixe: The Other Blue Beryl
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (8) Synthetic Aquamarine
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (9) Geological Occurrence
the blue gemstone and March birthstone (10) Sources of Aquamarine


March Birthstone: Aquamarine serves as a birthstone for the month of March. A few months give people a choice of more than one birthstone and March is one of those months. People born in March can select a faceted aquamarine or they can select a cabochon-cut bloodstone.

Aquamarine: March Birthstone

Many people know aquamarine because it serves as the birthstone for the month of March. Aquamarine rings, earrings, and pendants are popular birthstone gifts.

the blue gemstone and March birthstone (12)

Beryl Beads: This bracelet is made of translucent aquamarine and translucent morganite beads that are 8-millimeters in diameter. Translucent can be beautiful!

the blue gemstone and March birthstone (13)

Tumbled Aquamarine: These tumbled stones were made from translucent aquamarine. They have a wonderful color. They range from 3/4" to 1 1/8" in length.

Aquamarine: Transparent and Translucent

Aquamarine is best known as a highly transparent blue stone. Unlike emerald, the deep green variety of beryl, high-clarity, fracture-free aquamarine is abundant and more affordable. High-clarity, fracture-free stones are also more attractive and less likely to be damaged during wear.

Did you know that nice pieces of translucent aquamarine are also used in jewelry? Translucent aquamarine is often cut into beads and sometimes cut as cabochons. Necklaces strung with beads of pastel blue aquamarine and pastel pink morganite (both color-varieties of the mineral beryl) make a beautiful combination.

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We wondered what the gem identification experts at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) would think of a humble tumbled stone made from translucent blue beryl. So, we packed one up and submitted it to their lab for identification.

We were delighted to see that despite its distinctly translucent clarity and modest cutting style, the GIA lab identified it as follows... Species: natural beryl, Variety: aquamarine. [2] The identity of the stone was based upon mineral species and color. Clarity and shape did not influence its identity.

Physical Properties of Aquamarine

Chemical Classification Silicate
Color Greenish blue to blue (color almost always has been improved by heat treatment)
Streak Colorless (harder than the streak plate)
Luster Vitreous
Diaphaneity Translucent to transparent
Cleavage Imperfect
Mohs Hardness 7.5 to 8
Specific Gravity 2.6 to 2.8
Diagnostic Properties Crystals are prismatic, often with flat terminations, hexagonal, and without striations. Hardness and relatively low specific gravity.
Chemical Composition Be3Al2Si6O18
Crystal System Hexagonal (often occurs in prismatic to tabular crystals with a hexagonal cross section)
Uses Aquamarine has a hardness and durability that makes it suitable for all jewelry uses.

Aquamarine Gemology

Aquamarine is such a popular gemstone that it can be found in almost any jewelry store in the United States. If you are interested in purchasing an item of aquamarine jewelry, here are a few things to consider:

Durability: Aquamarine has a Mohs hardness of 7.5 to 8, making it one of the harder gemstones. Diamond, ruby, sapphire, topaz, and chrysoberyl are the only popular gemstones that are significantly harder. Hardness is a property that enables a gem to resist scratching. However, aquamarine's tenacity is rated as brittle - which means that the gem can be easily chipped upon impact. A mounting that guards the stone from impact and not wearing the gem during activities that might result in accidental impact are important precautions.

Color: The price of aquamarine is mainly determined by weight and the strength of its color. Gems with a faint blue color are abundant and inexpensive. Gems with a rich blue color are much more expensive because rich color in aquamarine is very rare. A small aquamarine with a rich blue color will cost a lot more than identical-size stones with a faint blue color.

Size: Aquamarine is available in a wide range of sizes. As the size of the gem increases, the strength of its apparent color will also increase. It can be difficult to find a small gem with a rich blue color, but as the size of the stone increases, the opportunity to find strong color also increases.

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Heat-Treated Aquamarine: The blue color of this 0.52-carat faceted aquamarine from Madagascar was improved by heat treatment.

Aquamarine Color and Treatment

As a member of the beryl mineral family, aquamarine has a chemical composition of Be3Al2Si6O18. Pure beryl is colorless. 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). [3]

Most natural aquamarine has a greenish blue color. Gentle heat treatment can remove the yellow color and transform the gem's color to a more pure and more valuable blue.

Greenish yellow and other colors of beryl can be altered to colors within the aquamarine range by heat treatment. [3] Most of the aquamarine offered for sale in today's market has received heat treatment. The color improvements achieved by heat treatment are thought to be permanent and undetectable by current methods of testing.

Any time a gem has been heated, irradiated, dyed, or undergone other treatments to improve its color, durability or appearance, the seller should disclose that information to the buyer. This information is important to many buyers - even to buyers of low-cost items.

Maxixe: The Other Blue Beryl

Maxixe (pronounced "mashish") is a rare variety of beryl with a dark blue color. The blue color develops while the gem material is still within the Earth by exposure to natural radiation. Unfortunately, the blue color gradually fades to a pale brownish color upon exposure to light. If Maxixe loses its color, it can be irradiated in a laboratory, however, the renewed blue color will also fade.

Maxixe can be separated from aquamarine in the following ways:

1) by its pleochroism (the strongest pleochroic color of maxixe is seen when the maxixe crystal is viewed down its c-axis, but in aquamarine the strongest blue color is seen when viewing the crystal perpendicular to the c-axis),

2) by its response under an ultraviolet lamp (some maxixe will glow a greenish color under both short- and long-wave ultraviolet radiation), and,

3) a lack of iron in its chemical composition (The iron content test will not be reliable for specimens of synthetic aquamarine which have received their blue color from cobalt or another chromophore.)

These tests can also be used to separate synthetic maxixe (also known an maxixe-type beryl) from synthetic aquamarine. [6]

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Synthetic Aquamarine

Synthetic aquamarine (lab-grown aquamarine) has been produced by hydrothermal growth methods in Russia since at least the 1980s [4] and since the early 2000s in the Czech Republic [5].

Some synthetic aquamarine receives its color from iron, like natural aquamarine. However, richly colored synthetic aquamarine has been produced using cobalt, copper, and nickel as sources of color. These metals have not been found as sources of color in natural aquamarine. [4]

Much synthetic aquamarine can be separated from natural aquamarine by microscopic examination. However, the growth zoning structures used to identify synthetic aquamarine are more difficult to recognize, especially in light-colored material. Characteristic mineral inclusions and multiphase inclusions can be used to identify natural aquamarine. [6]

It is unusual to see jewelry items disclosed as synthetic aquamarine, lab-grown aquamarine, or other man-made descriptors. These materials may be uncommon in the marketplace or are simply sold without disclosure.

the blue gemstone and March birthstone (15)

Aquamarine Crystals: Beautiful aquamarine crystals growing on a base of feldspar from the Skardu District of Pakistan. Prismatic crystals with a hexagonal cross-section and a flat termination is a common aquamarine habit. The specimen is approximately 14 x 12 x 7.5 centimeters in size. Specimen and photo by Arkenstone / www.iRocks.com.

Geological Occurrence

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.

Aquamarine References
[1] Aquamarine History and Lore: an article on the Gemological Institute of America website, accessed July 2020.

[2] Gemstone Identification Report: prepared by the Gemological Institute of America Laboratory, November 2017.

[3] Aquamarine Gemstone Information: an article on the AJS Gems website, accessed July 2020.

[4] Hydrothermally Grown Synthetic Aquamarine Manufactured in Novosibirsk, USSR: by Karl Schmetzer; Gems and Gemology, Volume 26, Number 3, pages 206 to 211, Fall 1990.

[5] Synthetic Gem Materials in the 2000s: by Nathan Renfro, John I. Koivula, Wuyi Wang, and Gary Roskin; Gems and Gemology, Volume 46, Number 4, pages 260 to 273, Winter 2010.

[6] Aquamarine, Maxixe-Type Beryl, and Hydrothermal Synthetic Blue Beryl: Analysis and Identification: by Ilaria Adamo, Alessandro Pavese, Loredana Prosperi, Valeria Diella, David Ajò, G. Diego Gatta, and Christopher P. Smith; an article in Gems & Gemology, Volume 44, Number 3, pages 214 to 225, Fall 2008.


Sources of Aquamarine

Brazil is the world's leading source of gem-quality aquamarine for over 100 years. It is found there in both pegmatites and alluvial deposits. Afghanistan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Tanzania, and Zambia are all sources of aquamarine. India and Sri Lanka have long histories of aquamarine production from alluvial deposits.

Aquamarine has been found at many locations in the United States. To date, almost all of the production has been from small-scale mining, often where multiple minerals are being produced.

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the blue gemstone and March birthstone (2024)

FAQs

The blue gemstone and March birthstone? ›

The modern birthstone for March is aquamarine

aquamarine
Aquamarine is a pale-blue to light-green variety of the beryl family, with its name relating to water and sea. The color of aquamarine can be changed by heat, with a goal to enhance its physical appearance (though this practice is frowned upon by collectors and jewelers). It is the birth stone of March.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Aquamarine_(gem)
, a blue stone often connected to the ocean. IGS may receive customer referral fees from the companies listed in this page.

What is the blue stone for March? ›

Firstly, aquamarine represents the birthstone for the month of March. Secondly, Aqua birthstones are the blue variety of the gemstone Beryl. And thirdly, translated, Aquamarine means “Sea water,” a gem associated with the ocean.

What is the official birthstone of March? ›

Aquamarine Birthstone Meaning & History

It was also thought to make the wearer unconquerable and amiable, and to quicken the intellect. Aquamarine is not only the birthstone for March, but the gem is also given as a present on the 19th wedding anniversary.

Are there two birthstones for March? ›

March has two birthstones, and they couldn't be more different. Aquamarine is the color of the sea, a clear turquoise color suggesting springtime. Bloodstone is opaque and dark green with red spots of iron oxide. Let's dig into the history of these gemstones that honor the month of March and those born in March.

What does the aquamarine birthstone symbolize? ›

Aquamarine is also associated with tranquility, serenity, clarity, and harmony. As the first of the spring birthstones, the sea blue crystal represents transformation and rebirth. It embodies youthful vitality, purity, loyalty, hope, and truth. Of course, aquamarine must possess all the healing qualities of the seas.

What color blue is March? ›

March birthstone: Aquamarine. March Birthstone Color is Pale Blue.

What is the blue birth stone? ›

Aquamarine, the birthstone of March, has a rich color and has long been a symbol of youth, health and hope. Its mesmerizing color ranges from pale to deep blue and are reminiscent of the sea.

What is the rarest birthstone? ›

Alexandrite is one of the rarest gemstones, and has only been known for about 200 years. The June birthstone Alexandrite is a color changing stone, with it changing from a blueish color during the day to a light purple-reddish color during the night.

How much is aquamarine worth? ›

The cost of a large aquamarines high gem quality rich blue or blue colors comes to $800-900 per carat, it's about dealer cost on the world market. Such stones can be seen in a single jewelry international jewelry houses. The average cost for good quality aquamarine ranges from $130 to $400 per carat.

What is the birthstone for March other than aquamarine? ›

The second birthstone for March is bloodstone, a dark-green gemstone flecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide. Generally found embedded in rocks or in riverbeds as pebbles, primary sources for this gemstone are India, Brazil, and Australia.

Who should not wear aquamarine stone? ›

The aquamarine stone suits best to the owners of zodiac signs Pisces (Meen) and Libra (Tula). In general, Scorpions are advised to avoid wearing this stone. Indian Vedic astrology recommends Beruj or Aquamarine stone for the ascendents of Capricorn (Makar) and Aquarius (Kumbha) sun signs.

Is aquamarine in the Bible? ›

The term aquamarine is not used by any of the Bible translators, but many scholars believe that the aquamarine was the type of beryl of the eighth stone of the New Jerusalem.

What happens when you wear aquamarine? ›

Eye Health: Its association with clarity and vision extends to physical eye health, where it's believed to help with conditions affecting the eyes. Hormonal Balance: Wearing aquamarine is said to help in balancing hormones, particularly beneficial for those with thyroid issues or hormonal imbalances.

How do you know if your birthstone is aquamarine or bloodstone? ›

Aquamarine — also known as the poor man's diamond — features colors of the ocean, ranging from deep greens and blues to warmer light greenish-blue, hues that might be seen surrounding a Caribbean island, whereas Bloodstone is a variety of quartz that is barely translucent and appears mostly as an opaque, almost black- ...

Where is aquamarine found? ›

This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but it is also found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique. Like emeralds, this gemstone is a variety of a mineral called beryl. Large gemstones have been found all over the world, including one gemstone found in Brazil that weighed over 240 pounds.

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