Aquamarine: March's Enchanting Birthstone

Aquamarine, meaning "water of the sea" is our modern birthstone for the month of March. Its delicate blue or turquoise color enlightens and reflects on those born of March. But what is the history of this enchanting birthstone? Why is it so enchanting?

Aquamarine is not only the modern birthstone for March, which was adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912, it is the planetary stone for Pisces, the sun sign for Scorpio and in the ancient Arabic, Hebrew, and Roman it is their birthstone for October. Aquamarine is also the suggested gem to give on the 16^th and 19^th wedding anniversaries.

The Aquamarine is part of the Beryl family. The name is from ancient Greek, beryl's, and means "precious blue-green color". These gemstones range from 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, the Mohs scale of hardness measures a substance's hardness or how resistant it is to being scratched. The scale ranges from 1 to 10.

The most valuable aquamarines come from Brazil, but it is also mined in Kenya and Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Russia. . Aquamarines on the market today are usually faceted, but when cut as a cabochon, they may display a cat's eye effect.

Aquamarine is colored from an almost indiscernible pale blue color to a strong sea blue by trace amounts of iron that find their way into the crystal structure. Some gemstones are heated to high temperatures to enhance the color and/or clarity of a stone. Aquamarines are often heat treated to change a blue-green or teal colored stone to a pure blue. This results in a permanent color change. The price of the stone rises with the intensity of its color.

Aquamarine is one of our most popular and best-known gemstones, and distinguishes itself by many good qualities. The aquamarine, according to legend, is blessed with many mystical powers. It is supposed to bring good fortune and harmony to the wearer. The divine and eternal blue of the aquamarine is supposed to bring good luck to married couples by strengthening the ties of marriage. Wearing this stone ensures a long lasting relationship because it evokes feelings of trust and harmony.