Aquamarine
The same mineral as emerald, but grown clean — aquamarine is one of the few pale stones that stays bright rather than washing out.
About Aquamarine
Aquamarine is beryl colored by iron, making it a sibling of emerald and morganite. Unlike emerald, it typically grows in large, clean crystals, so eye-clean aquamarine in substantial sizes is readily available where clean emerald of any size is not.
Color is the whole conversation. Most aquamarine is a light sky blue, and the market prizes the deeper, more saturated material — the trade name Santa Maria, after a Brazilian mine, describes the strongest blue. Because the color is light, cut depth matters enormously: a shallow stone will look nearly colorless, while a deeper one holds the blue.
At 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale aquamarine handles daily wear well. Nearly all commercial material is heated to remove a greenish-yellow component and push the color toward pure blue, a stable and universal treatment.
Why Sharon works with aquamarine
Sharon looks for aquamarine cut deep enough to hold its color and often sets it in white metal to keep the blue cool and clean. It is a natural pairing with the pale tourmalines and with pearl.
Caring for aquamarine
Warm soapy water and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaning is usually safe for clean stones; avoid it where inclusions are visible.
Common questions about aquamarine
Why do some aquamarines look almost colorless?
Usually because they are cut too shallow. Aquamarine has a light body color and needs depth to build up saturation. A well-cut stone of the same rough can look dramatically bluer.
Is aquamarine heated?
Nearly all of it is, to remove a greenish component. The treatment is permanent, stable and standard throughout the trade.
What does Santa Maria mean?
It is a trade term for the most saturated blue aquamarine, originally from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil. It is now used descriptively for top color regardless of source.
Aquamarine jewelry by Sharon Teaman
Each piece is one of a kind and made by hand in State College, Pennsylvania.
14K Aquamarine Bar Set Ring
Aquamarine$10,920
14K Aquamarine Pear Ring
Aquamarine$4,190
Aquamarine Wave Pendant in 14K White Gold
Aquamarine$3,925
Pear Shapped Aquamarine and Diamond Pendant in 18K White Gold
Aquamarine$2,365
Aquamarine Faceted Slice with Optical Iridescence (Rainbow effect) and Pastel Pink Tourmaline Accent
Aquamarine$1,680
Aquamarine 1.10 Carat Oval Sterling Silver Ring Mounted in a 4 prong Sterling basket
Aquamarine$690
Aquamarine pieces Sharon has made before
Sold, but a good indication of what is possible. Any of these can be a starting point for a commission.
Commission a aquamarine piece
Tell Sharon the color, the shape or the budget you have in mind. She sources aquamarine year round and will find the right stone before a single sketch is made.