Aquamarine
A variety of Beryl
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About Aquamarine
Colour:
Blue
Name:
The name aquamarine comes from aqua (Latin for 'water'), and marine, deriving from marina (Latin for 'of the sea'). The first reference in English to "Aquamarina" appears in Anselmus Boetius De Boot book GEMMARUM ET LAPIDUM HISTORIA (1609, in Latin). It was later cited in "A Lapidary History or History of Precious Stones" by Thomas Nicols, Cambridge (1652, page 114), where it states that the name was used by the Italians for blue-green varieties of beryl.
A sky-blue to sea-green gem variety of beryl. It is mainly associated with granitic pegmatites.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Aquamarine.
Visit gemdat.org for gemological information about Aquamarine.Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
289 (as Aquamarine)
819 (as Beryl)
819 (as Beryl)
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:289:1 (as Aquamarine)
mindat:1:1:819:6 (as Beryl)
mindat:1:1:819:6 (as Beryl)
Pronunciation of Aquamarine
Pronunciation:
| Play | Recorded by | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jolyon Ralph | United Kingdom |
Physical Properties of Aquamarine
Colour:
Blue
Comment:
Brazilian aquamarine, systematically investigating its compositional characteristics, coloration mechanisms, and chromatic properties. Experimental results demonstrate that this batch of aquamarine exhibits sodium-rich, magnesium-rich, potassium-rich, and low-vanadium features, classifying as high-alkali low-vanadium beryl. Aquamarine with higher Fe content shows bluer coloration. Different substitution degrees of TFe for Al change the color of aquamarine. A small amount of TFe substituting for Al, and a large amount of TFe forming Fe3+-Fe2+, make the aquamarine color bluer.
Streak:
White
Interestingness:
0
Chemical Analysis
Oxide wt%:
| 1 | |
|---|---|
| SiO2 | 76.48 % |
| Al2O3 | 22.36 % |
| FeO | 0.79 % |
| V2O3 | 0.07 % |
| Cr2O3 | 0.04 % |
| BaO | 0.15 % |
| CaO | 0.06 % |
| CuO | 0.01 % |
| Total: | 99.96 % |
Sample references:
| ID | Locality | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. Reference did not determine Be. |
Geological Environment
Geological Setting:
pegmatites
Other Language Names for Aquamarine
Basque:Akuamarina
Bulgarian:Аквамарин
Czech:Akvamarín
Danish:Akvamarin
Dutch:Aquamarijn
Estonian:Akvamariin
Finnish:Akvamariini
Galician:Augamariña
German:Aquamarin
Hebrew:אקוומרין
Italian:Acquamarina
Japanese:アクアマリン
Latin:Aquamarina
Latvian:Akvamarīns
Lithuanian:Akvamarinas
Norwegian:Akvamarin
Polish:Akwamaryn
Portuguese:Água-marinha
Romanian:Acvamarin
Russian:Аквамарин
Serbian:Аквамарин
Simplified Chinese:海蓝宝石
Slovenian:Akvamarin
Spanish:Aguamarina
Turkish:Akuamarin
Ukrainian:Аквамарин
Vietnamese:Ngọc berin
Varieties of Aquamarine
| Vanadium-bearing beryl | Recently, a vanadium-bearing beryl of Nigerian origin with a distinctive green (blue-green) color has emerged within the international jewelry market. Initially misidentified as African Paraiba blue-green tourmaline due to its similar color and luster, it... |
Common Associates
Associations Based on Photo Data:
| 1,834 photos of Aquamarine associated with Muscovite | KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2 |
| 1,354 photos of Aquamarine associated with Schorl | NaFe2+3Al6(Si6O18)(BO3)3(OH)3(OH) |
| 1,129 photos of Aquamarine associated with Albite | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| 645 photos of Aquamarine associated with Quartz | SiO2 |
| 450 photos of Aquamarine associated with Feldspar Group | |
| 337 photos of Aquamarine associated with Microcline | K(AlSi3O8) |
| 227 photos of Aquamarine associated with Fluorite | CaF2 |
| 217 photos of Aquamarine associated with 'Smoky Quartz' | SiO2 |
| 158 photos of Aquamarine associated with 'Cleavelandite' | Na(AlSi3O8) |
| 142 photos of Aquamarine associated with 'Morganite' | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Aquamarine
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-289.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Aquamarine
Reference List:
Andersson, Lars Olov (2019) Comments on Beryl Colors and on Other Observations Regarding Iron-containing Beryls. The Canadian Mineralogist, 57 (4) 551-566 doi:10.3749/canmin.1900021
Localities for Aquamarine
Showing 862 localities.
symbol to view information about a locality.
The Locality List
- This locality has map coordinates listed.
- This locality has estimated coordinates.
ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence.
? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.
- Good crystals or important locality for species.
- World class for species or very significant.
(TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species.
(FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties).
All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Ikhabu Pegmatite Field, Phaktanglung, Taplejung District, P1 Koshi Pradesh, Nepal