What Is the March Birthstone?
Those of you lucky enough to be born in March have the aquamarine to call your March birthstone. Besides being the March birthstone, this semiprecious gemstone and member of the beryl family is also Colorado’s state gem since 1971.
What Are the Characteristics of the March Birthstone?
A beautiful blue-green, the aquamarine receives its coloring from small amounts of ferrous iron. The hues of the aquamarine can range from a light blue-green to a fairly dark blue. There's a small chance that you could come across a gem being sold as a “white aquamarine,” but those stones are most likely not aquamarines, but colorless beryls known as goshenites (“Aquamarine Jewelry”).
What's so special about the March birthstone? Besides it being your March birthstone, there's also a deep-blue variant called maxixe that is very rare. The color of maxixe is caused by NO3, but its color can fade with exposure to sunlight (“Aquamarine”).
Aquamarine "inclusions", or what we think of as its interesting features, include long, hollow tubes. If an aquamarine has enough hollow tube inclusions and it’s cut just the right way, it can show chatoyancy—the “cat’s eye” design—or asterism—a star-shaped design. Some aquamarines have “snow stars,” which are star-shaped liquid droplets. Gem collectors put a lot of value on cat’s eye aquamarines; but star aquamarines are even more rare (“Aquamarine Jewelry”).
When looking for your own aquamarine, you should look at the four Cs:
- Color: An aquamarine with a deeper blue will be better quality and worth more.
- Clarity: The more transparent and clear the aquamarine is, the more valuable it is. Basically, the fewer inclusions, the better!
- Cut: If the blues of an aquamarine are dazzling and brilliant, it’s been cut really well.
- Carat size: As with all gemstones, the bigger the size, the more valuable it will be (“Aquamarine Stone”)!
What Is the History of the March Birthstone?
The beautiful aquamarine got its name from the Latin aqua for water and marina meaning “of the sea” (“Aquamarine”).
Is the March birthstone really the "gem of the sea"? Well, in Western cultures, because of the aquamarine’s name and color, people strongly associate the gemstone with the sea, with many folk stories about the protection of sailors and fishermen (“Aquamarine Jewelry”).
In fact, many people believed the aquamarine was a treasure of the mermaids, and sailors used it as a good-luck piece while they were on the open sea (“Aquamarine Stone”).
Ancient Romans also believed that the aquamarine could keep seafarers safe; they also used the aquamarine to protect people from sickness. The Chinese used the aquamarine to make seals, figurines, and engravings, while the Japanese used it to make netsuke—miniature sculptures (“Aquamarine”).
What Are the Properties of the March Birthstone?
The Aquamarine is said to have many mental and physical health benefits:
Physical Health
- Help with breathing problems like sinus, lung, and respiratory issues
- Help with colds, hay fever, and allergies
Spiritual Health
- Increased spiritual and psychic awareness
- Help with meditation
Emotional Health
- Soothing comfort to distracted mindsÂ
- Enhanced trust and communication in couplesÂ
- Soothing effect on the mind and emotions
Communication Health
- Help in choosing the right words, tone, and ideas when speaking to someone
- Soften harsh words and tones that can come out during disagreements
What is your experience with the aquamarine? Share in the comments.