Dom Pedro Aquamarine · Photo: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Beryl
Aquamarine
The colour of clear ocean water.
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5–8
- Crystal system
- Hexagonal
- Composition
- Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆ with Fe
- Colours
- Pale blue, Blue-green, Deep 'Santa Maria' blue
- Origins
- Brazil (Minas Gerais), Pakistan, Mozambique
- Birthstone
- March
Aquamarine is iron-bearing beryl. Gemstones of saturated medium blue - particularly 'Santa Maria' grade from Brazil - command premiums; pale washed-out material is abundant.
Clean crystals can be enormous: aquamarines of several hundred carats with no visible inclusions are routinely cut.
Treatments
What to know
- Heat treatment - standard, removes greenish-yellow tones to leave pure blue
Care & handling
How to wear it
- Durable for daily wear
- Ultrasonic and steam safe for untreated gemstones
Jewellery use
Setting the gemstone
Cocktail rings, pendants and tiaras. Long emerald cuts showcase its clarity.
Famous examples
- · Dom Pedro Aquamarine (10,363 ct, obelisk cut)