Aquamarine

Aquamarine, from the Latin aqua marina, meaning sea water, is a gem whose colour is reminiscent of the ocean.

It is almost as well known as emerald, to which it is related, since they both belong to the beryl family.

Aquamarines come mainly from Brazil (Minas Gerais, Bahia, Espirito Santo) and from more recent deposits in Africa.

It is the iron that gives it its colour. Its blue ranges from very pale and almost non-existent to ultramarine blue. The more pronounced the colour of an aquamarine, the higher its value.

Exceptional aquamarines, called "Santa Maria", take their name from the mine from which they are extracted, more precisely in Brazil, the Santa Maria de Itabira deposit.

Aquamarine has a hardness of 7.5 / 8 on the Mohs scale.