Aquamarine Stone - GIA

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Back to gem encyclopedia Aquamarine

Named after seawater, aquamarine’s fresh watery hue is a cool plunge into a refreshing pool.

Emerald Cut

This 3.36-ct. gem is an emerald cut, which is typical for aquamarine.

Sea Blue

Aquamarine’s most valuable color is a dark blue to slightly greenish blue.

High Clarity

Like all fine aquamarines, this gem is free of eye-visible inclusions.

Mineral Specimen

This fine 3x3x7 cm aquamarine mineral specimen is from Balistan, Pakistan

Columnar Form

The crystal shows aquamarine’s typical six-sided columnar form.

Pencil Point

A collector might call this crystal a “pencil” due to the faces at its tip.

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Rough

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Buyer's Guide

Fine aquamarines are a marriage between color and clarity. The best are dark blue to slightly greenish blue with no visible inclusions. Careful cutting maximizes both qualities to produce superb gems.

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What To Look For

View Gallery Brazilian Emerald-cut Aquamarine

Color is an important quality factor for aquamarine.

Aquamarine is pastel blue, greenish blue, or green-blue. The preferred aquamarine color is a dark blue to slightly greenish blue with moderate intensity and is most striking in gems of over 5-cts. Fine stones show even blue color with no zoning

View Gallery 12.50-ct. Emerald Cut Aquamarine

Clarity is also important—most fine gems are eye clean.

Most faceted aquamarines are free of eye-visible inclusions. Collectors generally expect clean gems with good transparency. There is a trend today to use included, but good-color aquamarines as unique centerpieces for jewelry articles or even as partially polished crystal slices or nuggets in necklaces.

View Gallery Deep Blue, Oval Cut Aquamarine

Cut is one of the most important factors in appearance.

Aquamarines can be cut into almost any shape, but cutters often fashion them as emerald cuts or as round or oval brilliants. Many gem artists use aquamarine for one-of-a-kind designer cuts because their styles maximize the material’s pure, even color and high clarity.

View Gallery Large Aquamarines

Carat weight allows for precise measurements.

Aquamarine is available in large sizes—many fine gems of 25-cts or greater are readily available. Generally, smaller accent sizes are pale: cut gems are more likely to have a darker color if they are larger than five carats.

Aquamarine Quality Factors: The Comprehensive Guide

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Tips & Advice

1. Top quality aquamarine shouldn’t have any eye visible inclusions.

Although aquamarine is the mineral beryl, like emerald, inclusions are much less accepted than they would be in emerald. Aquamarine that is milky or included is much less expensive, although it may be beautiful in its own way.

2. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Fine aquamarine is rare and expensive. Large gems with intense color that are selling for less than $100 are unlikely to be aquamarine.

3. Trust your color preferences.

If you prefer an aquamarine color that has more green in it, you can buy a beautiful gem for less than you would pay for the same gem if it was a pure blue.

4. Work with a jeweler with expertise.

Judging the quality of aquamarine requires skill and knowledge. Look for gemological credentials. A jeweler who knows and loves aquamarine will have several to show you so you can see quality differences side by side.

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Questions & Answers

Why does aquamarine cost so much more than blue topaz that's almost the same color?

Blue topaz is more common because the color is produced by treating colorless topaz with radiation. Aquamarine is rarer in nature, especially in fine color. Its long history as a gem also adds to its collectibility.

Why don't the aquamarine side stones in my ring match the center stone?

Aquamarine’s color gets more intense as it gets larger. It is very difficult to find small sizes with saturated color: most stones below a carat in size have a pale color.

Are origins like “Santa Maria” important to the value of aquamarines?

Although it’s always interesting to know where a gem was mined, origin isn’t an important factor in an aquamarine’s value. Famous mines are well regarded because they produce fine-quality gems that are valuable; gems aren’t fine or valuable just because they come from famous mines.

What is AAA-quality aquamarine?

Although individual companies might create their own quality descriptions, like AAA, AA and A, to denote the range of quality of their goods, no standard quality-grading scales exist for aquamarine.

Does GIA grade aquamarine?

GIA evaluates aquamarine but does not grade it. A GIA Colored Stone Identification Report assesses the characteristics of a mounted or loose aquamarine (weight, measurements, shape, cutting style and color), indicates whether it is natural or laboratory-grown and names any detectable treatments.