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Aquamarine (Lat. aqua marina, "water of the sea") is a
gemstone-quality transparent variety of beryl, having a delicate
blue or blue-green color, suggestive of the tint of sea-water. It's
closely related to the gem emerald.
It occurs at most localities which yield ordinary beryl, some of the
finest coming from Russia. The gem-gravels of Sri Lanka contain
aquamarine. Clear yellow beryl, such as occurs in Brazil, is
sometimes called aquamarine chrysolite. When corundum presents the
bluish tint of typical aquamarine, it is often termed Oriental
aquamarine. |
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In the United States, aquamarines can be found at the summit of
Mt. Antero in the Sawatch Range in central Colorado. In Brazil,
there are mines in the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and
Bahia.
The biggest aquamarine ever mined was found at the city of Marambaia,
Minas Gerais. It weighed over 110 kg, and its dimensions were 48.5
cm long and 42 cm in diameter.
Aquamarine is the birthstone associated with March. It is also the
gemstone for the 19th Anniversary.
Varieties of beryl have been considered gemstones since prehistoric
times. Green beryl is called emerald, red beryl is bixbite or red
emerald or scarlet emerald, blue beryl is aquamarine, pink beryl is
morganite, white beryl is goshenite, and a clear bright yellow beryl
is called golden beryl. Other shades such as yellow-green for
heliodor and honey yellow are common.
Beryl is found most commonly in granitic pegmatites, but also occurs
in mica schists in the Ural Mountains and is often associated with
tin and tungsten orebodies. Beryl is found in certain European
countries such as Austria, Germany, and Ireland. It also occurs in
Madagascar (especially morganite).
The most famous source of emeralds in the world is at Muso and
Chivor, Boyacá, Colombia, where they make a unique appearance in
limestone. Emeralds are also found in the Transvaal, South Africa,
Minas Gerais, Brazil, and near Mursinka in Urals. In the United
States emeralds are found in North Carolina. New England's
pegmatites have produced some of the largest beryls found, including
one massive crystal with dimensions 5.5 m by 1.2 m (18 ft by 4 ft)
with a mass of around 18 metric tons. Other beryl locations include
South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, and California. |