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EXPERT ANALYSIS ACROSS A RANGE OF SECTORS

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Aquamarine is the green-blue to blue variety of the mineral beryl.

The name “aquamarine” is derived from two Latin words: aqua, meaning “water,” and marina, meaning “of the sea.”

The lovely aquamarine gemstone is associated with courage, loyalty, fealty and friendship. Aquamarine is said to heighten awareness, communication skills and quick response. This gemstone symbolizes honesty, faithfulness and beauty.

In the commercial market, aquamarine competes with treated blue topaz for attention, but fine aquamarine sells for far more than equivalent-quality treated blue topaz.

Aquamarine Quality Factors

Colour

Aquamarine’s colour is usually a light pastel greenish blue but it can range from blue, very slightly greenish blue, greenish blue, very strongly greenish blue to green-blue.

The gem’s most valuable colour is a dark blue to slightly greenish blue with moderately strong intensity

A breathtaking turquoise, aquamarine and diamond necklace from the 2015 Tiffany Blue Book

Clarity

Most faceted aquamarines are eye-clean. Some crystals might contain liquid inclusions, but clarity characteristics are few or absent in most finished gems. Stones with eye-visible inclusions are usually fashioned into cabochons, beads, or carvings.

Cut

Aquamarines can be cut into almost any shape, but cutters often fashion them as emerald cuts or as round or oval brilliants. The rough is fairly plentiful, so well-cut stones are fairly common. The gemstone’s hardness and transparency make it popular with designers, artists, and carvers. Gem sculptors use aquamarine for fantasy cuts and ornamental objects.

Carat Weight

Aquamarine crystals come in sizes from very small to very large.

While large stones are readily available, it’s difficult to use them in jewellery, so there’s less demand for them, except as centre stones. As a result, per-carat prices tend to decrease for sizes above 25 carats.

Many very large aquamarine crystals have been discovered. The largest Brazilian aquamarine on record was found in 1910, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It weighed 244 lbs. (110 kg) and measured 19 in. (48 cm) long and 15 in. (38 cm) in diameter

Treatments

Heat treatment usually gives it more of a pure blue appearance.

Information courtesy of GIA

Quick Facts

Chemical Composition: Beryllium Aluminium Silicate
Refractive Index: 1.56 - 1.60
Specific Gravity: 2.65 – 2.80
Mohs Hardness: 7.50

Send AnchorCert Gem Lab Your Aquamarine For Gem Identification

Our qualified gemmologists will test the stone for the basics such as its refractive index and specific gravity and tell you if it is natural or synthetic.

Gemstone Identification results can be given verbally or as written reports which can then be supplied along with the item. The Gem ID service takes approx. 15 working days to complete.