Aquamarine is a light-blue or greenish-blue transparent gemstone. It is a variety of the mineral beryl. The color of aquamarine can resemble pale blue or blue-green sea water—which is what gives it its name. Although aquamarine gemstones can be easily confused with blue topaz, aquamarine is much rarer and valuable. Aquamarine is related to emerald, since both belong to the gemstone family of Beryl’s. An aquamarine of the best quality is sea blue color, transparent and eye-clean. This quality is typically used in fine jewelry by the 5th Avenue or Rodeo Drive Jewelers. Aquamarine is 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, so it is a durable gemstone for jewelry as long as it is treated with care to protect it against scratching and hard knocks. Aquamarine is not only the birthstone for March, but the gem is also given as a present on the 19th wedding anniversary. Aquamarine is such a popular gemstone that it can be found in almost any jewelry store in the United States. If you are interested in purchasing an item of aquamarine jewelry, here are a few things to consider: Durability: Aquamarine has a Mohs hardness of 7.5 to 8, making it one of the harder gemstones. Color: The worth of aquamarine is mainly determined by weight and the strength of its color. Gems with a faint blue color are abundant and inexpensive. Gems with a rich blue color are much more expensive because rich color in aquamarine is very rare. Size: Aquamarine is available in a wide range of sizes. As the size of the gem increases, the strength of its apparent color will also increase. It can be difficult to find a small gem with a rich blue color, but as the size of the stone increases, the opportunity to find strong color also increases.
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