By: Emily Laput
The cool blue birthstone of March is the aquamarine.
In Latin, its name means “the sailor’s stone.” Sailors began to take aquamarine on their voyages and tossed them into the sea as gifts to Poseidon to have a safe journey. Legend also has it that Poseidon gifted aquamarine to mermaids.
Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family and it gets its color from heating. Because aquamarine’s color is light, cutting is important and well-cut gems show brilliance.On the Mohs scale, aquamarine has a rating of 7.5-8, which means that aquamarine is durable.
Aquamarine was used as an antidote to poison in Europe in the 1300s. In ancient Greek history, the Greeks believed aquamarine promoted youthful love, as it was considered to have positive effects on married couples. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt's daughter, was given a heart-shaped aquamarine from Former Vice President Taft as a wedding gift. Aquamarine makes an excellent anniversary gift.
This birthstone can be found in the Royal Family's jewelry collection. Princess Diana has been seen wearing a large aquamarine ring with diamonds along with a pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings. Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Necklace and earrings were presented by the President and People of Brazil, as Brazil is one of the main sources of aquamarine. Zambia, Madagascar, and Nigeria are other sites for mining aquamarine.
The stone is said to help you sift through energy and information, create mental clarity, and soothe an overactive mind; it's even used to improve the intellect. Aquamarine is a stone of courage. Its calming energies reduce stress and quiet the mind. It promotes tolerance of others and clarifies perception.
Happy birthday, March babies! We hope you have a loving and cool birth month. Next month, we will talk about April’s birthstone: the diamond!
