Aquamarine is such a popular gemstone that it can be found in almost any jewelry store in the United States. If you are interested in purchasing an item of aquamarine jewelry, here are a few things to consider:
Durability: Aquamarine has a Mohs hardness of 7.5 to 8, making it one of the harder gemstones. Diamond, ruby, sapphire, topaz, and chrysoberyl are the only popular gemstones that are significantly harder. Hardness is a property that enables a gem to resist scratching. However, aquamarine’s tenacity is rated as brittle – which means that the gem can be easily chipped upon impact. A mounting that guards the stone from impact and not wearing the gem during activities that might result in accidental impact are important precautions.
Color: The price of aquamarine is mainly determined by weight and the strength of its color. Gems with a faint blue color are abundant and inexpensive. Gems with a rich blue color are much more expensive because rich color in aquamarine is very rare. A small aquamarine with a rich blue color will cost a lot more than identical-size stones with a faint blue color.
Size: Aquamarine is available in a wide range of sizes. As the size of the gem increases, the strength of its apparent color will also increase. It can be difficult to find a small gem with a rich blue color, but as the size of the stone increases, the opportunity to find strong color also increases.
| Physical Properties of Aquamarine | |
| Chemical Classification | Silicate |
| Color | Greenish blue to blue (color almost always has been improved by heat treatment) |
| Streak | Colorless (harder than the streak plate) |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Diaphaneity | Translucent to transparent |
| Cleavage | Imperfect |
| Mohs Hardness | 7.5 to 8 |
| Specific Gravity | 2.6 to 2.8 |
| Diagnostic Properties | Crystals are prismatic, often with flat terminations, hexagonal, and without striations. Hardness and relatively low specific gravity. |
| Chemical Composition | Be3Al2Si6O18 |
| Crystal System | Hexagonal (often occurs in prismatic to tabular crystals with a hexagonal cross section) |
| Uses | Aquamarine has a hardness and durability that makes it suitable for all jewelry uses. |