If you’ve been with me for a while, then you know that I love aquamarine, the iconic light blue gemstone. It’s definitely towards the top of my gem rankings. Here’s why I love this stone so much! 

• Color: I’m a sucker for light blue. Aquamarine is named after its beautiful, watery shade of blue. Natural aquamarine looks like a lagoon on a tropical island, inviting you to dive in and immerse yourself in the beauty. It can range from pale soft blue, to a little more neon blue/green, and in rarer form is seen as a punchy cerulean. When I’m sourcing aquamarine gemstones to design with, I gravitate towards the pale blue. To me, the color is calming and inviting, and brings me so much joy to look at. 
• It’s a beryl! Aquamarine falls into the gem family known as Beryl, which are great gems for engagement rings or other every day pieces. Beryls rank 7.5-8 on the Mohs scale of hardness, which means they are a durable and hardy stone that will stand up to many years of wear. Pure beryl is colorless, but when other elements are present at the formation of the mineral then the gem takes on new hues. When beryl becomes light blue, then it’s called  Aquamarine. When green, Emerald. Pink, Morganite, and yellow, Heliodor. 
• Few inclusions: Aquamarine is generally perfectly eye clean, so you can get a substantially sized stone with no visible imperfections. And because of the way this mineral forms, the gem can be cut into relatively any shape. Oval, brilliant, princess, emerald cut, etc. 

Aquamarine can be seen through antiquity in ancient jewelry. This is a Byzantine era Aquamarine and gold ring, made in Constantinople in the 12-13th century. The aquamarine here is cabbed, not faceted (meaning it has a domed surface rather than a sparkly and angled shape). Very cute little seed pearls on the sides too.

And this 18k Victorian era Medusa ring might be one of the greatest pieces of jewelry I’ve ever seen. The figurative, hand sculpted setting is an absolute piece of art. Even the gemstone has a face carved into it. Incredible!

All this to say, Aquamarine is a beautiful gemstone, and a perfect choice for an engagement ring or other special memento. Here’s some pieces I’ve designed with this beautiful gem. Contact us if you’re ready to custom design something special!