Aquamarine Guide

Gemstone color is the most obvious feature of a gem. Aquamarines range from mystical icy blues to the darkest teals of the ocean, depending on how much iron is present in the structure of the gem. Deeply saturated blues—closer to the intensity of a sapphire—are more highly valued. Larger gemstones are typically a vibrant blue color, while smaller stones tend to be paler. Popular color variations of aquamarine are identified by their trade names: 

Brazilian Aquamarine: “Brazilian” refers to the blue-green color of this type of aquamarine, not that it’s mined in Brazil—although it can be. 

Madagascar Aquamarine: This aquamarine isn’t necessarily sourced in Madagascar—rather, the name refers to its medium-blue tone. 

Santa Maria Aquamarine: This aquamarine is from the Santa Maria mine in Brazil and is known for its deeply saturated blue color. 

Maxixe: Pronounced “mah-she-she,” this aquamarine is a less common variety with a brilliant—albeit unstable—blue color. The blue fades over time into a yellowish-brown when exposed to daylight. Because of this, Blue Nile doesn’t carry maxixe aquamarines." 

The cut of a gemstone highlights the best features of a gem. The cut of your aquamarine enhances its depth of color and gives it a terrific sparkle. Aquamarine facets beautifully. Step cuts, such as emerald and baguette cuts, or a Barions mixed cut showcase the gemstone’s amazing color and clarity. 

The clarity of a gemstone depends on whether it has inclusions, which are gas bubbles, liquid, fractures, or crystals embedded in the gem. Aquamarines are a Type 1 gemstone, meaning most stones have an “eye-clean” level of clarity, with few inclusions. But inclusions aren’t always a bad thing—these hitchhikers can add sparkle as they produce an otherworldly reaction called chatoyancy when they’re in the right light. There are two types of chatoyancy that pertain to aquamarines: Cat’s eye chatoyancy is a rare phenomenon where light reflects off inclusions and creates a luminescent beam, similar to that of a cat’s eye. Star chatoyancy is even more rare than cat’s eye. Also known as asterism, it occurs when the light of several cat’s eyes reflect off of each other, creating a star, or asterisk, effect. 

Unlike diamond size, which is weighed in carats, gemstone size is assessed based on diameter in millimeters. This gives you a more accurate picture of what the gemstone will look like in its setting. 

Many aquamarines are heat-treated to enhance their vibrant blue color. This process doesn’t harm the stone, and the effects are permanent, but because of the unnatural process, heat-treated aquamarine costs less than an untreated aquamarine of the same color. We treat our gemstones with only the highest quality techniques.