All About Aquamarine |
The finest aquamarine ever discovered in the United States was found in Sugar Hill in Stoneham, Maine in 1881. It was cut from one of two crystals located on nearby farms. The smaller crystal measured approximately one inch long and one half inch wide, and several smaller gems were cut from this. The larger crystal was four inches long and two inches wide, and the gem cut from this was so perfect and beautiful it was put on display at the Columbia Exposition, and is now on display at the Field Natural History Museum in Chicago, which was founded by Marshall Fields. It is labeled as the "finest aquamarine ever found in the United States".
Aquamarine crystals (aqua marina, "water of the sea" in Latin) are transparent crystals of the beryl family, and have a pale blue or turquoise color reminiscent of the color of the sea. It can also be in a deep blue color. Usually formed in prisms of hexagon shape, beryl is one of the most beautiful crystallized minerals. Transparent crystals have gem value, and as a rule it is a mineral of the ancient, deeply buried rocks. Ancient sailors often sailed with them under their pillows to assure safe passage, and even believed a mermaid's lower body was made of aquamarine. In ancient times it was called sea-green beryl. In the Middle Ages it was considered an antidote for poison.
New England has many localities of aquamarine crystals. They can also be found in the United States in San Diego County, California; and Mount Antero in Colorado. which considers it its official state gem. There are three mines in Brazil producing fine aquamarines: Minas Gewrais,Espirito Santo, and Bahia; and they can also be found in Madagascar (very large crystals), Tanzania, Kenya, Sri Lanka, China, India, Namibia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Queensland, Australia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Malawi. The largest one was found in 1910 in Brazil. Russia also produces the magnificent gem.
The more vivid the color of the aquamarine, the more valuable it is. Americans prefer the blue hue, but those in Europe prefer a blue-green color. It has a hardness of 8 on the Mohl's scale of hardness, and is typically on the low end of the specific gravity range. (The pink variety is on the high end.) It is the birthstone for March, and a gift often given for the 19th wedding anniversary. It is closely related to the emerald.
The deeper blue aquamarines from Brazil are called "Santa Maria"; and those from Mozambique are called "Santa Maria Africana".The "Martha Rocha" aquamarine was named after a Brazilian 1954 beauty queen. The largest aquamarine ever cut was found in Brazil in 1992, and was named "Don Pedro". Aquamarines are a favorite of the jewelry designers as it can be cut and fashioned in so many ways, the more transparency in the original crystal the better.