Learn · Stones
Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the green-blue to blue variety of beryl, colored by iron, and the birthstone for March. It is durable when it is protected from scratches and hard knocks.
What it is
Aquamarine is beryl, the same mineral as emerald and morganite. Its color, green-blue to blue, comes from iron.
Most aquamarine on the market is heat-treated to a purer blue.
Why people love it
The blue, and a March birthday.
Trade-offs
Aquamarine is 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale: durable when protected from scratches and hard knocks. Take it off for hard work; a setting that guards its edges, such as a bezel, helps on a ring worn every day.
Most aquamarine is heat-treated, so ask Sara how a stone has been treated, and whether it is natural or laboratory-grown.
Who it suits
Anyone who loves a clear blue, and anyone with a March birthday, in a ring that is taken off for hard work.
Sizes
The Design Studio sets an aquamarine from 4 to 12 mm long in any of its shapes and shows its millimeters and an approximate weight. By the studio’s figures, beryl (specific gravity 2.72) weighs about three quarters of a diamond (3.52) of the same size.
What affects the cost
What moves an aquamarine’s cost: its size, its color and clarity, any treatment, and whether it is natural or laboratory-grown; then the metal and the setting. Sara quotes the finished piece after a consultation.
Every custom piece is quoted after a consultation; there are no posted prices for custom work.
Care
Warm soapy water and a soft brush are safe. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually fine for aquamarine, unless the stone has liquid inclusions or fractures. Pacific Jewel rings come back to Sara for a clean and an inspection whenever you like.
Questions
Can aquamarine be worn every day?
It is durable when protected from scratches and hard knocks. Take it off for hard work, and a bezel helps guard it.
Is aquamarine treated?
Most aquamarine on the market is heat-treated to a purer blue. Ask Sara about any stone you consider.
Can I clean aquamarine in an ultrasonic cleaner?
Usually, unless the stone has liquid inclusions or fractures. Warm soapy water and a soft brush are always safe.
What is the birthstone for March?
Aquamarine.