Aquamarine

	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2012 Item : #455 Design : Acorn (Doug Menadue) Origin : Brazil Treatments : None Weight : 13.4 carats Clarity : Slightly Included Size : 14.2 x 14.2 x 12 mm Price : $3600 AUD Comments : This is one magnificent Brazilian aquamarine! This beauty has been cut in my Acorn design though with one stepped tier on the pavilion rather then the usual two. This makes it not as deep as a regular Acorn gemstone. Now, the pics show some silver needle inclusions that look like comets or shooting stars. I must tell you that these inclusions look far more apparent in the pics then they do in real life. In person these inclusions are very hard to see and certainly, in my opinion, do not detraction from the appearance of the stone at all. You really have to look hard under good lighting to see them. The camera has a way of making gemstone inclusions seem worse then they really are. The size of this gemstone is impressive and would certainly make an amazing ring if you like big stones. The colour is good, a very nice blue. It is a very bright, sparkly gem with lots of life and action. SEE THE ORIGINAL ROUGH STONE HERE.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2011 Item : #374 Design : Signature #4 (Jeff Graham) Origin : Nigeria Treatments : None Weight : 3.5 carat Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 11 x 11 x 6.5 mm Price : $420 AUD Comments :This is a sweet little aquamarine gem that would make a fantastic pendant or ring. It's lovely soft colour is a greenish blue and the gem is very bright and flashy. A fine little aqua.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2009 Item : #191 Design : Smith Bar (Jeff Graham) Origin : Pakistan Treatments : None Weight : 17.6 ct carats Clarity : Slightly Included Size : 20.8 x 12 x 9 mm Price : $1050 AUD Comments : Here is a very nice large aqua. It is cut in the modern classic Smith Bar design and has a wonderful and vibrant "pixelation" light effect. It has some minor inclusions around the girdle and corners and a small black needle. It is very bright and glassy. Quite an impressive gem! SEE THE ORIGINAL ROUGH STONE HERE.

Sold

	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2011 Item : #385 Design : Signature #3 (Jeff Graham) Treatments : None Weight : 5.25 carat Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 12 x 9 x 7.5 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A beautiful, stunning aquamarine cut in my favorite rectangle barion cushion design. This design does amazing things in aquamarine and natural blue topaz, it cuts a gem full of life and brilliance. The colour is quite pale but very bright. At night this gem looks absolutely beautiful. A fine aquamarine gem.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2011 Item : #371 Design : Asscher Cut Origin : Nigeria Treatments : Unknown, possibly heated? Weight : 4.9 carat Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 10 x 10 x 8.5 mm Price : SOLD Comments : Here's the classic aqua asscher. This is a very fine large aqua with a nice lovely blue colour. It isn't the usual pale aqua that you see alot of, this one has a very defined blue with no green. I'm not sure whether it has been heated or not. There are a number of minor inclusions in the gem common to beryl including a few small, very fine silver needles near one edge along the girdle. I didn't notice them until I was polishing the stone so that might tell you something about them. Because of its large and glorious size, I cut this asscher with 5 tiers on the pavilion and 4 on the crown. The "windmill" or "propeller" pattern is fantastic and I really like it. It is a very bright gem, nice and clear. If you like big blue aquas, this is the one for you... a very pleasing gem.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #209 Design : Emerald Cut Origin : Pakistan Treatments : None Weight : 9.5 ct carats Clarity : Very Very Slightly Included Size : 9 x 15 x 8 mm Price : SOLD Comments : This is an outstanding aquamarine! The design is the Emerald Cut... I couldn't think of a better design for this particular gem. The gem is very clean for so big an aqua. There is just the slightest tint of green which I love... just enough to make it special. This is a very elegant gem... the sort of stone that one can spend a long time searching for. It has a fine water, glassy and crisp. The photos do not do this gem justice... it is much better in person. Top shelf gem! SEE THE ORIGINAL ROUGH STONE HERE.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #210 Design : Emerald Cut Origin : Pakistan Treatments : None Weight : 4.4 ct carats Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 7 x 11 x 6.5 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A beautiful, watery aquamarine. The design is the Emerald Cut and suits aqua very well. Its a nice size for a ring. It was cut from the same piece of rough as #212 which makes them "sibling stones". They are perfectly matched in colour because of this however this gem is slightly larger. They would make a nice pair of earrings. There are some minor veils. SEE THE ORIGINAL ROUGH STONE HERE.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #212 Design : Emerald Cut Origin : Pakistan Treatments : None Weight : 3.6 ct carats Clarity : Very Slightly Included Size : 6.5 x 11 x 6 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A beautiful, watery aquamarine. The design is the Emerald Cut and suits aqua very well. Its a nice size for a ring. It was cut from the same piece of rough as #210 which makes them "sibling stones". They are perfectly matched in colour because of this however this gem is slightly smaller. They would make a nice pair of earrings. There is a thin silver needle near the bottom of the pavilion running parallel with the keel. SEE THE ORIGINAL ROUGH STONE HERE.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #208 Design : Brilliance Origin : Mozambique Treatments : Heated? Weight : 1.5 ct carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 7 x 7 x 5.5 mm Price : SOLD Comments : Fantastic blue aquamarine in a very brilliant round design. This is something a little different and very nice. The blue is a bit darker then normal and I'd say it was light/medium. I am unsure whether it has been heated so assume that it has... most "blue" aquamarine has been heated in order to remove the green tint. A top little gem!
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #197 Design : Classic I (Jeff Graham) Origin : Pakistan Treatments : None Weight : .94 ct carats Clarity : Eye Clean Size : 6 x 6 x 4 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A nice bright little aquamarine cut in a classic shape. It is very light blue and quite pretty.
	Stone : Aquamarine Cut By : Doug Menadue, 2010 Item : #203 Design : Nigerian Cushion (Jeff Graham) Origin : Mozambique Treatments : None Weight : 1.6 ct carats Clarity : Very Very Slightly Included Size : 7.5 x 7.5 x 5 mm Price : SOLD Comments : A very fine aquamarine cut in a classic cushion design. There is a very minor veil inclusion that needs a 10X loupe to be seen. This gem would make an excellent ring stone.

Information For precious and semi precious gemstones

Stone : Aquamarine
Moh's Hardness : 7.5 - 8
Origin Locations : Minas Gerais, Brazil; Nigeria, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Namibia, Africa; Sir Lanka, Madagascar; USA; India; Burma; Afghanistan; Pakistan; O'Briens Creek, NQ, Harts Ranges, NT, Australia
Treatments : None, Heating
Clarity : Eye Clean to Included
Color : Various shades of blue to blue-green
Cleavage : Indistinct
Crystal System : Hexagonal prisms
Chemical Composition : Al2Be3(Si6O18) - Aluminum Beryllium Silicate
Refractive Index (RI) : 1.564 - 1.596
Density : 2.68 - 2.74
Birthstones : Aquamarine is the birthstone for March.
Aquamarine is the zodiac stone for Aquarius.
Aquamarine is the stone for the 19th anniversary.

Comments : Aquamarine has long been among the most popular gemstones that people have worn. It is one of the big names, along side emeralds, sapphires, rubies and diamonds. All throughout history it has been mentioned. The name "aquamarine" comes from the Latin meaning "water of the sea" and is so named because of its beautiful blue-green colour. Aquamarine occurs in light blue to dark blue and blue-green, with a very intense blue variety named "Santa Maria" after the mine with the same name in Ceara, Brazil.

Aquamarine is a member of the Beryl family, along side emeralds (green chrome/vanadium containing), morganite (pink), heliodor (golden yellow) and goshenite (colorless). The colouring agent in aquamarine is iron. Aquamarines are commonly subjected to various treatments, such as heating and neutron or gamma irradiation. This is done to improve the colour or remove the green from a stone. I think its a bit of a shame that the green is so often cooked from aquamarine to create a more bluer stone. It is this blue-green colour for which aquamarine has gained its name, and the blue-green colour is truly beautiful and clearly marks the gem as being an aquamarine.

Care must be taken with aquamarine as it can be brittle and sensitive to pressure, as well as being sensitive to high temperatures, so be careful when making jewelry as it can result in possible discoloration. Aquamarines are often cut in classic step (emerald) cuts or scissor cuts as these styles help enhance the stone's colour.

In the past decade, Pakistan has been producing alot of aquamarine, both as facet rough and magnificent specimens that are popular with mineral collectors. This material is often quite pale but very clear and free of inclusions. Some of the best and richest coloured aquamarine that I have personally seen has come from O'Briens Creek near Mt Surprise, North Queensland, Australia. This location is famous for topaz however there is some great aquamarine to be found there as well. A pic of a big aquamarine crystal from O'Briens Creek can be seen here, and another here. The colour of these crystals is as beautiful as it comes.

Aquamarine can be found in quite large crystals. One of the largest aquamarine crystals on record was found in 1910 at Marambaya, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This monster weighed 110.5kg (243lbs) and was 48.5cm (18in) long and 42cm (15.5in) in diameter. It was gem quality and believed to have been be cut into many gemstones with a total combined weight of over 100,000 carats! Thats alot of aquamarine... imagine finding that aquamarine crystal... not something you'd find everyday.

Bespoke Gems is home to a beautiful collection of fine handcut gemstones. These lovely coloured gems have been precision custom cut from such precious and semi precious gemstones as amethyst, ametrine, aquamarine, beryl, black spinel, blue topaz, carnelian, chalcedony, chrysoberyl, chrysoprase, asscher cut citrine, garnet, lapis lazuli, peridot, rose de france amethyst, rose quartz, ruby and zoisite, sage green quartz, sapphire, smokey quartz, topaz, asscher cut tourmaline, rubellite tourmaline, zircon and many others. All gem designs have been optimized to bring out the best in the gemstone and cover a wide range of contemporary and traditional designs, such as the classic asscher cut. Bespoke Gems also has educational articles on the art of gem cutting and what to look for when buying a gem. Please enjoy and thank you for visiting. :-)

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