March’s Birthstone – Aquamarine

March 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Aquamarine - March's Birthstone

Aquamarine - March's Birthstone

"Water of the Sea" is March's Birthstone

If you can picture the cerulean blue waters of the Mediterranean, you will understand why March's Birthstone is named Aquamarine. Derived from the Roman word "Aqua," meaning water, and "mare," meaning sea, this pale blue gem does indeed resemble the color of seawater. The ancient Romans believed that the Aquamarine was sacred to Neptune, the god of the sea, having fallen from the jewel boxes of sirens and washed onto shore. Early sailors wore aquamarine talismans, engraved with the likeness of Neptune, as protection against dangers at sea.

Tell Your Fortune with March's Birthstone

The association with water led to the belief that March's Birthstone the Aquamarine was particularly powerful when immersed. Water in which this gemstone had been submerged was used in ancient times to heal a variety of illnesses of the heart, liver, stomach, mouth and throat. Aquamarines were also used to reverse poisoning and to aid in fortune telling.

March's Birthstone is a Beryl

The Aquamarine is a member of the beryl family. Beryl is a mineral that crystallizes within large grained igneous rocks on the earth's crust. It varies in color from clear to vibrantly colored gemstones such as the Emerald. Beryl was used as far back as 2,000 years ago to correct vision, and it continues to be used today in the manufacture of eyeglasses. It is a very hard mineral, making March's Birthstone the Aquamarine a durable gemstone for use in jewelry.

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Aquamarine varies in color from blue-green to a light sky blue, but gems containing green are often heat-treated to remove this less desirable color. The majority of Aquamarines, unlike other gemstones, are flawless. It is a relatively abundant gem, the largest deposits being in Brazil, but other sources of Aquamarine are in China, India, Australia, Africa, and the United States.

A gift of Aquamarine symbolizes both safety and security, especially within long standing relationships. Some people even say that the Aquamarine reawakens love in a tired marriage, so if you want to bring back that spark in your partner's eyes, you might consider this gem as an anniversary gift!

Alternate Birthstone
An alternate birthstone for March is Bloodstone, a dark green opaque quartz flecked with red spots. The name Bloodstone derives from the legendary belief that the red coloration resulted from the blood of Christ spilling onto green jasper during the crucifixion. For this reason, too, the stone has been called "martyr's stone." Bloodstone is mined in India, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, and the United States. Ideal for carving into cameos and beads, this stone symbolizes courage.

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Loose Aquamarine Gemstones

December 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Loose Aquamarine Gemstones

Everyone is familiar with emerald, one of the four traditional precious gems. But many people don't realize that emerald is a member of a notable gemstone family called beryl. The other, less famous, beryls include aquamarine, morganite, golden beryl and bixbite.

It's fair to say that the delicate blue-green aquamarine is the second most famous beryl, though not the rarest. Bixbite, the red beryl, is extremely rare and is found in only a few locations in Utah and New Mexico in the USA. Aquamarine is found in most locations where ordinary beryl is found, including Brazil, Australia, Burma, China, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Though aquamarine and emerald belong to the same family, they are surprisingly different. They are both beryllium aluminum silicates. Where emerald is colored by trace amounts of chromium and and/or vanadium, aquamarine is colored by iron. But while emerald has have essentially the same specific gravity and refractive index, emerald tends to be quite hazy and included, while aquamarine typically has excellent transparency and clarity.

Though the beryls are quite hard gems -- rating 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale -- emerald has always been regarded as a somewhat delicate gem due to its many inclusions. Emeralds are usually oiled to fill fractures and improve their color. Aquamarine, on the other hand, requires no special treatment and is suitable for all kinds of jewelry, including rings.

The intensity of color and the clarity of the stone are the most important criteria when evaluating aquamarine. Deep blue aquamarines are rare and command higher prices in the world's gemstone markets, though deep blue aquamarine is still a pastel blue. Unlike other gems, aquamarine is not diminished by lesser intensity of color -- many people actually prefer the more crystal clear lighter gemstones to the deeper colors. You will find aquamarine in a wide range of shapes and cuts.

Aquamarine derives its name from the Latin term for seawater, and has a long tradition as the sailor's lucky stone. The Greeks and the Romans knew aquamarine as the sailor's gem, ensuring the safe and prosperous passage across stormy seas. Legend has it that aquamarines were the prized possessions of mermaids and thus would would protect sailors from danger, including warding off sea sickness.

Aquamarine is the birthstone for March.

GemSelect is a leading online dealer in fine gemstones, specializing in sapphire, spinel, tourmaline, topaz, zircon and all the beryls, including aquamarine.

13gr ROUGH LOOSE ETHIOPIAN FLUORITE GREEN GEMSTONE r123

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Aquamarine

October 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Aquamarine Loose Gemstones

Aquamarine Loose Gemstones

The word "Aquamarine" comes from the Latin words "Aqua Marina", meaning sea water. Aquamarine is the Birthstone of March and is associated with faith, courage, and friendship. Aquamarine is considered also to solve the throat and problems related stress. It is believed that aquamarine also helps to reduce communication problems. In the Middle Ages thought that aquamarine has the magical power to overcome the effects of poison. Aquamarine was also associated with awareness and rapid response. Sailors for protection while at sea using a like a charm. Romans believed that the carving of a frog on this rock will help to convert enemies into friends. He was a Roman tradition for the groom to give aquamarine as a morning gift for the bride after the fulfillment of their marriage. It is believed that this gemstone can absorb the atmosphere young love. Thus, it was considered to revive the love of married couples.

Aquamarine is a cousin title = "Loose Emerald"> Emerald and Beryl family belongs. This is its color from traces of iron in Beryl. Some aquamarines Chatoyancy ie Display Properties property Cat's Eye and stars. Its color ranges from beautiful colors of blue to green to blue green sea. Aquamarine best property is that it is very pleasant to the eye. It gives a calming. Rating 8 on the Mohs scale, due to its hardness and durability, aquamarine is quite popular among jewelry designers. It can be found in large crystals hexagonal or irregular. Sometimes it can be found also, as bi-color with other minerals, such as Morgan. Color and clarity are the most important elements while assessing Aquamarine. A very pale aquamarine 30 carat will cost the same as a one carat Aquamarine Deep Blue. So clearly the intensity of color and clarity are most important factors. However, it is rare to find stones with color Deep Blue. Another property of high quality aquamarines is that they are inclusive Free. At times pure green stones are also found, which when heated and treated at a temperature of 600-1200 degrees Fahrenheit can be used to produce pure blue stone.

Initially, Brazil was the main producer, now Zambia, Mozambique, and Nigeria are producing stones also good quality. In 1910, Brazil saw the highest ever Aquamarine. Stone weighed 243 pounds and was later cut into pieces which gave more than 200,000 carats. It was clean, so one could read newspaper print through it.

He thinks the treasure chest were from mermaids, aquamarine is a splendid stone. For the aged beauty was loved around the world. From the Sumerians to the Egyptians Hebrew, all have adorned it. Aquamarine is Stone is a beautiful and wonderful to hold one.

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - What is Aquamarine

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