For those who are lucky enough to have aquamarine as their birthstone, this beautiful gemstone has a unique history.
The name derives from the Latin ‘aqua’, meaning water and ‘marina’, meaning sea—clearly for its resemblance to pristine crystal blue seawater. A charming description of the stone from an early twentieth century publication describes aquamarine as seeming ‘to have come direct from some mermaid’s treasure house in the depths of a summer sea’. Pliny the Elder, the Ancient Roman naturalist, wrote of the gem, ‘There is not a colour more pleasing to the eye.’
Pliny the Elder
The symbolic importance of aquamarine has varied throughout the centuries. It has often been attributed special properties and associated with myths and legends. Indeed, the Greeks and ancient Romans believed it would protect the sailors at sea during storms as well as from any other danger, such as the irresistible charm of mermaids encountered during their voyage. Modern seamen have also subscribed to this ancient belief. During World War II the US navy christened a patrol boat the ‘USS Aquamarine’.
Aquamarine is a light blue to greenish blue member of the beryl family of gemstones, which counts emerald among its other well-known varieties. Unlike emeralds, however, aquamarines are typically large and transparent, and often feature in dramatic jewels on a grand scale. The most important historic old mines for aquamarine deposits were the Brazil Minas Gerais, long since depleted.
The largest specimen known to date was found in the Minas Gerais mine in Brazil in 1910—the primary world source of the stones and measured 19 inches long and 17 inches in diameter!
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