Aquamarine, also known as aeroides, is a silicate containing beryllium and aluminum, collectively referred to as a colored gemstone along with garnet, tourmaline, and other minerals. The color of aquamarine ranges from sky blue to sea blue or greenish blue, and its color formation is mainly due to the presence of trace amounts of divalent iron ions (Fe2+). The best color is the bright and flawless, rich and vibrant bright blue to light blue.
Beryllium is a beryllium aluminum silicate mineral. Its several variants have different colors, including light blue (called aquamarine), dark green (called emerald), golden yellow (called golden beryl), pink (called cesium beryl), and belong to the hexagonal crystal system.
brief introduction
Sea blue gemstones are mainly produced in pegmatite deposits – sugar bearing sodium feldspar pegmatite. The world’s most famous sea blue gemstone production site is in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Next are regions such as Russia and China. The common crystal morphology is hexagonal column, followed by hexagonal double cone, and the aggregates are mostly produced in a columnar shape. Transparent to semi transparent. Refractive index 1.567-1.590, birefringence 0.005-0.007. Clearly multicolored, ranging from blue to blue-green. It does not emit light under X-ray irradiation and has good toughness.
The quality evaluation of aquamarine gemstones is based on factors such as color, clarity, cutting, and weight. Pure color, no gray, no dichroism, and those with rich and bright colors have the highest value. Some sapphires with directional inclusions can be processed into cat’s eye effect or starlight effect, while sapphires with special optical effects are more expensive. Sea blue gemstones with the same color, clarity, and cut have higher value as their carat weight increases.
Related legends
Legend has it that there is a group of mermaids living on the deep blue sea floor. They usually use aquamarine gems as their accessories to dress themselves up. Once they encounter a critical moment, they only need to let the gems receive sunlight to obtain mysterious powers to help themselves.
