It is a member of the hexagonal crystal group and has poor cleavage, which means it does not break neatly apart when it’s struck a certain way. It has a relative density of between 2.68 and 2.80, which makes it denser than water. This measures how light is bent when it enters the stone. Aquamarine Propertiesīesides being a fairly hard stone, aquamarine has a refractive index between 1.57 and 1.59. People believe that placing aquamarine in water gives the water healing properties. Some sailors would carve an image of Poseidon, the god of the sea, into the mineral.
People used to believe it was retrieved from the treasure chests of mermaids, and sailors took the stone on voyages to protect them from shipwreck and drowning. Fittingly, many superstitions about the sea revolve around this gemstone. The mineral’s name comes from “aqua,” which is Latin for water and “mare,” which is Latin for sea. Other places where aquamarines are found in abundance are Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, India, Nigeria, Madagascar, Maine, Siberia, and Ukraine. Some of these stones have interesting inclusions that add as opposed to subtracting from their value.Ĭrystal healers even claim that crystals with inclusions are better for meditation, as the person can lose themselves in the inclusions as they meditate. These stones come in shades of blue that are so distinctive that gemologists can tell which mine the gemstone came from. A major source of the mineral is in the Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil. This is very different from emerald, which is notorious for its flaws and inclusions.Īquamarine’s flawlessness is one reason why it is so easy to cut, even though it has a hardness rating of 7.5 to 8.0 on the Mohs hardness scale.īecause aquamarine is common, it is less expensive than green emerald and much less expensive than peach-pink morganite. Aquamarine is also found in the gravel at the bottom of streams.Īnother quality that distinguishes aquamarine is that it is usually flawless. The largest gem-quality specimen weighed 243 pounds. Pegmatites are minerals formed in volcanoes just before the magma crystallizes.īeryl crystals found in pegmatites can be very large, and it is not uncommon to find a piece of aquamarine that is 3 feet long. Being set with white diamonds in a piece of jewelry brings out aquamarine’s beauty.Īquamarine is a fairly common mineral and is often found in granite pegmatites. Lapidists find aquamarine easy to cut and shape, and it is often formed into step cuts or brilliant cuts. Its chemical formula is repeating units of Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Though pure beryl is colorless, the blue of aquamarine comes from iron.
The main difference between aquamarine and these gems is that aquamarine is prized for its clear, light blue color. This makes it a relative of the gemstones emerald, heliodor, and morganite. Aquamarine is a type of beryl, which is a mineral.
0 kommentar(er)
