Aquamarine

Aquamarine is the blue to greenish-blue variety of beryl, the same mineral family as emerald. Its colour comes from traces of iron. The name comes from the Latin for seawater, and sailors once carried it as a talisman for a safe crossing.

It is the birthstone for March. Where emerald is prized for its intensity and its garden of inclusions, aquamarine is loved for calm, clear colour and a bright, clean crystal.

Aquamarine ranges from the palest sky blue to a deep, saturated ocean blue. The most valued stones show a pure, intense blue with little or no green. Colour deepens with size, so a larger stone often shows a richer blue than a small one of the same material.

The trade name Santa Maria describes the deepest, most saturated blues, after the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Lighter, airier blues have their own appeal: they look fresh and luminous, especially in white metal.

Unlike emerald, aquamarine often grows clean. Fine faceted aquamarines are usually eye-clean, with no inclusions visible without magnification, so it is reasonable to expect a clean, transparent stone.

Look for brilliance and transparency. Any inclusions should be small and should not cloud the stone or sit near an edge.

Many aquamarines are gently heated to remove a greenish or yellowish tint and reveal a purer blue. The treatment is long established, accepted across the trade and permanent. It is often impossible to detect, so a report may not be able to say whether a stone has been heated.

What matters is an honest description of the stone and a report from a respected laboratory confirming that it is natural aquamarine.

Brazil has been the world’s great source of aquamarine for generations, above all the state of Minas Gerais. Brazil, where the story of Bairro Jabour began, also produced the Dom Pedro, the largest cut aquamarine in the world, found in Minas Gerais and now in the Smithsonian Institution.

The emerald cut and the oval suit aquamarine beautifully: the step-cut facets of an emerald cut show off its clarity like still water, while an oval adds brilliance and elongates the finger. Our Itapuã ring sets an oval aquamarine in woven yellow gold, framed by two sweeping rows of diamonds.

At 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale and with good toughness, aquamarine resists everyday scratches and is a sound choice for an engagement ring. A setting that protects the edges, and taking the ring off for the gym or heavy work, will keep it bright for decades.

Clean it with warm water, a drop of neutral soap and a soft brush, then rinse and dry with a soft cloth. Never put a gemstone in an ultrasonic cleaner or a steamer.