aquamarine.com

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If you are in search of happiness, youth and intelligence, how about an aquamarine? Of course no gemstone is going to ensure you these, but the ancients believed they could indeed help. And who’s to say? There is a certain satisfaction and joy that comes from gazing into the depths of a mysterious colored stone. And aquamarine, with its soothing blue hues, has its own sense of mystery and joy

This member of the beryl family, which includes other such notables as emerald and morganite, ranges in color saturation from the palest of light blues to the darker and somewhat mysterious shade of deep Caribbean waters. While all beryls share the same basic chemical composition, Beryllium aluminum silicate or Be3Al2(Si6O18), the variations in colors come from trace elements. Iron gives aquamarine its characteristic blue—the more iron, the deeper the color.

As is true with most colored gems, the depth of color affects the value of aquamarine. This is why many of the stones are heat treated to bring out deeper blues and to eliminate any competing hints of yellow and green.

Some of the finest aquamarines have been found in Brazil, with those coming from the Santa Maria mine in Cerea being among the best. Though this mine has been closed for many years, recent finds of quality stones in Mozambique have resurrected the Santa Maria name. This recent find of Santa Maria Africana stones shows color similar to the Brazilian ones, hence the name.

Whether you choose a lighter stone or one of a richer color, you will surely discover the secrets that have made aquamarine legendary among sailors and others for generations, leading them to believe that the gem offered protection, intelligence, happiness and youth. May it do the same for you.