How to buy an Aquamarine
Buying loose Aquamarines or Aquamarine Engagement Rings and Aquamarine Jewellery - Your Research tips
Prior to beginning your search for an Aquamarine ring, Aquamarine Engagement ring, Aquamarine Jewellery, or loose Aquamarines, make sure you are well aware of the types of colours available.
Aquamarine is usually pastel blue in colour, although, there are darker colours available which generally do give an aquamarine more Value.
If you are searching for an Aquamarine Engagement ring, keep in mind that because the aquamarine will most likely be the focal point, the Aquamarine should be of a clean
1. Aquamarine Colour
Aquamarines are usually considered more desirable if they are a pure blue, with no green and grey in them. The yellow green tinged Aquamarines are generally less expensive and are usually the natural unheated (non enhanced) type.
When looking at colour, also take into account how the colour is distributed throughout the stone, check that it is evenly spread without lighter or darker patches of colour, although, this rarely even happens in aquamarines, as the colour is generally very even in most.
2. Aquamarine Cut
Aquamarine being a softer shaded gemstone is appealing in just about all the different types of cuts available. For an Aquamarine engagement ring, the most popular cut of Aquamarine is generally an Oval Cut or a Cushion Cut Aquamarine. The most common Aquamarine Cut is Oval. There are many other cuts that bring out its beauty, such as Emerald cut Aquamarine, Princess cut Aquamarine, Round Cut Aquamarine, Cushion Cut Aquamarine, or modern cuts such as checkerboard cushion Cut Aquamarine. When looking at the cut of the Aquamarine, look for general visual proportion balance. If a stone is cut in an oval cut for example, look at it to see that one of the top and bottom are of equal measurements, and that one end does not bulge out more than the other end. Some Aquamarine Cuts are performed by hand, so exact pinpoint millimetre measurements may not always be found, so just keeping that in mind, look for it to be as close to perfect as possible.
3. Aquamarine Clarity
Aquamarines are one of the most well known gemstone for its high clarity grades. Most Aquamarines are only slightly included or in some cases show no inclusions whatsoever. This has long been one of the best assets of an aquamarine, as purity in a gemstone can be of benefit when it comes to any possible weakness areas when pressure is applied.
4. Aquamarine Hardness
Aquamarines are considered an overall ‘hard’ gemstone. The Moh’s scale of hardness is a universal scale for minerals showing their position in the scale as to compare which ones are harder than others. As an example the hardest known mineral is Diamond, given a 10 on Moh’s scale. The softest known mineral is Talc given a 1 on Moh’s scale.
Aquamarine comes in at a hardness of around 7.5 - 8.
Routine Enhancements
An Aquamarine is generally heated when it is of greenish hue. This is done so that that the yellow/green is removed so as to be left with a beautiful vibrant pastel blue colour. This heating treatment is stable and is undetectable and very common.
History & Beliefs
Aquamarine is the birthstone for the month of March. The colour of Aquamarine is close to that of the Sea, therefore its name comes from the Latin word for ‘Seawater’. In the 19th century, sea green varieties of the stone were the most popular, but today, the more blue the colour, the more valuable the stone. In 1910, the largest ever aquamarine was found in Brazil, weighing 243 pounds. It was then cut into smaller stones, yielding over 200,000 carats. Sailors of legend believed that mermaids' tails were of aquamarine. The lucky stone was thought to ensure sailors a safe return when out at sea.
Aquamarine is believed to hold many spiritual and physical benefits to its wearer. Some of the most interesting being that it is thought to align the aesthetic and mental bodies. It helps its wearers to honour spiritual experiences as their own and incorporate them to further their own growth.
