Glamour Effect: What is Birthstone for March?

Aquamarine is the birthstone for people born in March. The birthstone has its origin dates back to the Aaron times. Aaron, the elder brother of Moses, wore a breastplate which had twelve gemstones representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel. In bilical times, people wore the gemstone as a talisman assigned to each month. Until 1912, the American National Association of Jewelers introduced an official list of gemstones which represents each month. According to this list, aquamarine is the birthstone for March.

What is Color of Aquamarine?
The aquamarine stone gets its name because of its color being aquamarine. The aquamarine stone colors ranges from sky-blue, greenish-blue, pale-blue to blue-green. No matter from which shade you look at the aquamarine stone, it gives beautiful,peaceful and serene hues. The most valuable aquamarines are those mined in large stones and of deep blue aquamarine color.

Where is Aquamarine Mined?
The birthstone for March is mainly mined in Australia, Afria, Chian, Columbia, India, Russion, Brazil and the United States. Colorado regard aquamarine stone as the state gem. In 1910, the largest aquamarine stone was dicovered in Marambia in Brazil and it is 19" long and weighs 243 pounds, which is equal to 110kg. Jewelers cut this largest aquamarine stone into a largest cut aquamarine gemstone and named it the Dom Pedro aquamarine. Now the largest cut aquamarine stays in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History.

What is the Origin and History of Aquamarine?
The word "aquamarine" is derived from the Latin word "agua", which means water, marina, the sea, and the water of the sea. As you can see, Latin gave this name to aquamarine because of its sea-water color. The first documented usage of aquamarine dates back to ancient Greece between 480 B.C. and 300 B.C. When the aquamarine stone was used as an amulet engraved with Poseidon on a chanriot. Poseidon is the Greek God of the Sea and according to legend, Poseidon protect sailers on the sea. The aquamarine stone represents the color of the sea, so people used aquamarine as a talisman to bring sailers good lucky, and a safe prosperous journey across the ocean. According to legends, aquamarine was believed to be the prized possession of mermaids and it has the power to protect sailers during hazardous journey across the oceans. So aquamarine is believed to be the sailer's gem and a great talisman for sailers. The Romans believed in Neptune, Kind of the Sea, and they associated this stone with Neptune and they believed that Neptune would protect them against the dangers of the sea as long as they carried aquamarine stone as an amulet. Ancient Egyptians also believed that aquamarine had special powers, so they put this stone in their tombs for the journey to the afterlife.

What are the properties and healing powers of aquamarine?
Among all crystals, aquamarine is the most flawless and has excellent clarity and transparency. The March birthstone aquamarine is so flawless that silvers of aquamarine was used to correct near-sighted vision when eyeglasses were first created. Aquamarine is a color variety of the mineral beryl which has hexagonal crystals. Pure beryl is transparent, but when Fe2 and iron atoms (Fe3) appears in the beryl, the color changes from pale blue to deep blue. So natural, untreated aquamarine is a transparent, blueish green variety of beryl. Aquamarine is a relatively hard stone because it ranges from 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. It is believed that the aquamarine can cure insomania, enhance communication, reduce anxiety, do mental clarity and is good for emotional balance. Since Roman times, people used aquamarine stones to cure ailments of the mouth, liver, throat, and jaw.

How to tell the value of an aquamarine stone?
Similar as diamond, the cut, clarity, color and carate weight determins the value of the aquamarine. Like seawater, aquamarine color can be light blue, blue green, green-blue and dark blue. Though most aquamarine stones are of typically light blue tone, the more saturated the color is, the higher the value will be. A deeply saturated blue aquamarine is the most desired one, but it is very rare in larger cut. Aquamarine is not dimished by lesser color intensity because many people actually prefer the more crystal clear aquamarine stones than the deeper, richer ones.

How to care for Aquamarine jewelry?
Though aquamarine is one of the more durable gemstones, it still requires care when wearing it. You should avoid wearing an aquamarine jewelry when working around harsh chemicals because it might be damaged by these harsh chemicals. Always keep your aquamarine jewelry piece separately from other types of gemstone jewelry to avoid scratches.

How to clean Aquamarine rings?
The best way to clean your aquamarine jewelry is to bring it to a professional jeweler for a beautiful results. However, you can still clean your aquamarine ring at home with soapy water and soft cloth.

1. Fill a small bowl with warm water and a small amount of dish soap.
2. Let the aquamarine jewelry soak for 5-8 minutes.
3. Clean the stone with a soft bristled toothbrush.

Where can I buy March Birthstone jewelry?
Etsy
Ebay
Zales
Gemselect
Gemvara

Gift idea for March Birthstone- Aquamarine
March's birthstone was also thought to enhance the happiness of marriages and it is the gem of the 19th wedding anniversary. It would be a great idea to give your wife an aquamarine ring or necklace as an anniversary gift. As the birthstone of March, aquamarine jewelry definitely makes the perfect gift for the ones born in March. A great gift idea for birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Graduation or more occasions would be giving a personalized birthstone name necklace. When searching information for aquamarine online, i found a jewelry store - Opersonalized.com selling personalized name necklace with birthstones and infinity necklace with birthstones. According to the site description, buyer can personalize name and choose birthstones for the necklaces, the following is links of the products: