AQUAMARINE
Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family, closely related in mineral composition to Emerald even if they do look completely different! One of the most obvious differences between the two is that while inclusions are the norm for Emerald, Aquamarine is normally expected to be far cleaner to the naked eye, with little to no visible inclusions.
Pale coloured Aquamarine is relatively common and available in very large pieces, often over 20 carats in size. However, highly saturated, deep blue stones of fine gem quality are rare to find and command a premium. Notably, the most desirable Aquamarine colour is known as ‘Santa Maria’, named after a mining area of Brazil where Aquamarines of such saturation were previously found. Even though this source is now exhausted, the term is still sometimes used to describe the colour of stones from other sources which display similarly high levels of saturation.
With a rating of over 7.5 on the Moh’s scale and its stunning colour, Aquamarine is perfect for creating stunning pieces of jewellery for everyday use.