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You might have thought that aquamarine has always been used as an adornment, either in jewelry or the regalia of kings and queens. While this is largely true, you might be surprised to learn some of the more unusual uses of this gem throughout the ages.

Some believe that aquamarine is the beryl that is referred to in the Bible as being the eighth cornerstone of the New Jerusalem. As evidence of this, consider that Pliny the Elder, through his descriptions of stones that he called berrulos, seemed to be referring to aquamarine. Furthermore, Pliny was a contemporary of the writers of the Bible. Another argument in favor of aquamarine as being this significant stone in biblical history is simply that emeralds, the other most commonly known beryl, were far less common than were their sister stone, aquamarine.

Because of its association with the mythological god, Neptune, who is the god of the sea, aquamarine talismans were part of the daily attire for nearly every ancient Roman sailor, who wore the talismans as protection against the many dangers that might befall them when at sea. For extra protection, these talismans were engraved with Neptune’s image.

Perhaps one of the most surprising uses of this gem has been as a visual aid, but not the kind that you used in school to earn extra points. It has been widely reported that the Roman emperor, Nero, used an aquamarine crystal to help him see. This was long before eyeglasses, as we know them, were invented. Along this line, many years after Nero, the Germans took small slivers of aquamarine and used these as lenses to help those who were shortsighted.

Though today, we usually just think of aquamarine as the blue beauty that serves as the centerpoint of our favorite jewelry designs, we now know that others long before us saw the stone has having more potential.