Spring is just around the bend and what better way to begin our welcome than with a gorgeous stone! This month's stone of the month is the beautiful Aquamarine. Before we jump in with how to select a great piece of jewelry, how about a little background first?
Every stone has histories and symbolism attached to it from many cultures and here are a few that we find interesting:
Aquamarine is a stone of courage. It accelerates the
intellectual reasoning process and makes one unconquerable through learning - not
only of knowledge passed through teachers of the past and present, but of oneself.
Aquamarine blue is a divine and eternal color, since it is,
after all, the color of the skies. Aquamarine is also the color of water, with
its life-giving properties. This stone is attuned to the ocean and helps us to
get in touch with the nature spirits of the sea. Take some time, close your
eyes, breathe deep and remember sitting on the beach at dusk, the water coming
in, the cool breeze. This is Aquamarine's gift to you. (Read the full article
here)
According to legend, it has its origin in the treasure chest of
the mermaids, and has for ages been reputed to be a lucky stone for sailors.
It is a very good stone to take on vacations and cruises.
In terms of its metaphysical and healing attributes, aquamarine jewelry is thought to attract compassion, trust, friendship and harmonic situations. It is also a love attracting stone and it is said that the woman who wears it is promised a happy marriage with a wealthy man. For this reason an aquamarine ring or pendant might be a good gift for a young woman who is just setting out to find her fortunes in the world. (Enjoy the full article
here.)
So it sounds like this is a piece of jewelry frequently worn by ladies! What a great graduation, birthday or anniversary gift!
How would you know if you are getting a good stone? We've rounded up a few tips for you!
1) Select a shade that you like. Aquamarines come in shades from the lightest sky blue that is almost clear to a very deep, clear aquatic blue. Most aquamarines are free or nearly free of interior inclusions, but if you want a light shade then it is more important to select a stone that does not have any large flaws on the inside as they will muddy the brilliance. Conversely, flaws in a darker stone can actually make the stone brighter and more interesting to look at.
2) Consider the cut of the gem. While aquamarine can be flattering in a variety of traditional cuts, its hardness and nearly inclusion-free attributes enable jewel cutters to be more "artistic" with the gem than is generally common. Aquamarines can be custom cut with additional notches and grooves to magnify the brilliance of the gem even further, and sometimes jewelers deliberately create their own surface inclusions on lower levels of the gem to create a more interesting play of light on the stone.
3) Inspect the gem for clarity. While most aquamarines have few to no flaws, it is important to make sure that the top surface of the gem is not scratched or nicked. In darker stones, jewelers may actually create flaws or cut around them to emphasize them as they can emphasize the color and sparkle of the gem. However, light stones should be free of interior and exterior inclusions that will mar the beautiful shine of the stone.
How to Evaluate Aquamarine
Come by our store and see our selection!
