What is Aquamarine?

Aquamarine is a type of beryl, which is a mineral. This makes it a relative of the gemstones emerald, heliodor, and morganite. The main difference between aquamarine and these gems is that aquamarine is prized for its clear, light blue color.

Though pure beryl is colorless, the blue of aquamarine comes from iron. Its chemical formula is repeating units of Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Lapidists find aquamarine easy to cut and shape, and it is often formed into step cuts or brilliant cuts. Being set with white diamonds in a piece of jewelry brings out aquamarine’s beauty.

Aquamarine is a fairly common mineral and is often found in granite pegmatites. Pegmatites are minerals formed in volcanoes just before the magma crystallizes.

aquamarineBeryl crystals found in pegmatites can be very large, and it is not uncommon to find a piece of aquamarine that is 3 feet long. The largest gem quality specimen weighed 243 pounds. Aquamarine is also found in the gravel at the bottom of streams.

Another quality that distinguishes aquamarine is that it is usually flawless. This is very different from emerald, which is notorious for its flaws and inclusions.

Aquamarine’s flawlessness is one reason why it is so easy to cut, even though it has a hardness rating of 7.5 to 8.0 on the Mohs hardness scale.

Because aquamarine is common, it is less expensive than green emerald and much less expensive than peach-pink morganite. A major source of the mineral is in the Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil.

These stones come in shades of blue that are so distinctive that gemologists can tell which mine the gemstone came from. Some of these stones have interesting inclusions that add as opposed to subtracting from their value.

Crystal healers even claim that crystals with inclusions are better for meditation, as the person can lose themselves in the inclusions as they meditate.

Other places where aquamarines are found in abundance are Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, India, Nigeria, Madagascar, Maine, Siberia, and Ukraine.
Aquamarine Meaning

The mineral’s name comes from “aqua,” which is Latin for water and “mare,” which is Latin for sea. Fittingly, many superstitions about the sea revolve around this gemstone. People used to believe it was retrieved from the treasure chests of mermaids, and sailors took the stone on voyages to protect them from shipwreck and drowning.

Some sailors would carve an image of Poseidon, the god of the sea, into the mineral. People believe that placing aquamarine in water gives the water healing properties.
Aquamarine Properties

Besides being a fairly hard stone, aquamarine has a refractive index between 1.57 and 1.59. This measures how light is bent when it enters the stone. It has a relative density of between 2.68 and 2.80, which makes it denser than water. It is a member of the hexagonal crystal group and has poor cleavage, which means it does not break neatly apart when it’s struck a certain way. When it is smashed, its fracture is conchoidal, or shell-like. Aquamarine is considered a brittle mineral with a vitreous, or glassy luster. It is transparent to translucent and has a weak pleochroism. Pleochroism is a quality where the color of the gem changes depending on the angle from which it is viewed.
Aquamarine Healing Properties

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Aquamarine is a stone that imparts serenity and courage.
Physical Healing

When it comes to physical healing, aquamarine counteracts the effects of pollutants. It is good for sore throats, thyroid problems and swollen lymph glands. It balances the pituitary and the thyroid glands and regulates the hormones they produce.

Because of this, it also regulates growth. Aquamarine has an overall tonic effect on the body and helps the liver, kidneys and other organs cleanse the body. It supports the health of the eyes, the jaw, the teeth and the stomach and can counteract nearsightedness and farsightedness.

It calms and strengthens the immune system and helps to heal autoimmune diseases.

The mineral should be placed on the part of the body that requires healing. Aquamarine can also be placed on any of the chakras, but is most responsive to the one in the throat. Place it on the back or front of the body, whichever is more comfortable.

The mineral can even be placed above the head at the higher crown chakra or below the feet at the earth chakra if the patient is lying down.
Emotional Healing

Aquamarine is used to quiet the mind and reduce stress. It brings tolerance and overcomes the urge to be judgmental. It supports sensitive people who are sometimes overwhelmed by their responsibilities and gently encourages them to take responsibility for their own well-being.

It sharpens a person’s perception and intellect and clears up confusion.
Spiritual Healing

The mineral has been used since antiquity to attract spirits of light, and repel spirits of darkness. It supports a person’s intuition and talent for clairvoyance. It is an excellent stone for meditation and brings higher states of consciousness. It prompts spiritual awareness and encourages service to humanity.
Aquamarine Uses

Besides being used as a healing stone, aquamarine is famously used as a gemstone. Queen Elizabeth II has a few pieces of jewelry set with aquamarines, including two clips of aquamarine baguettes and diamond round brilliants made by Cartier.

Aquamarine is also used as an elixir. To make this, place a clean aquamarine crystal into a glass bowl filled with spring water. Place it in sunlight for twelve hours, then remove the crystal and pour the tincture into a glass bottle with a stopper.

If the elixir is to be kept for more than a week, add brandy or vodka.

Dosage bottles can also be made from aquamarine elixir. Place seven drops of the mother tincture into a glass eye dropper bottle, then fill it with one-third of brandy or two-thirds water if it’s going to be ingested or placed on the skin. Take seven drops of the elixir three times a day, or add it to bathwater.

Aquamarine crystals can also be shaped. They can come to a point that’s either natural or artificial. If the crystal is pointed away form the body it draws energy away. If it is pointed inward, it channels energy into the body.

Some crystals have points at both ends, which means that they radiate and absorb energy at the same time.

Aquamarines can also come in clusters, which have many embedded points in a base. They radiate energy out and also absorb detrimental energy. These types of crystals are especially useful when cleansing a room.

All they need to do is be charged and left in the room.

Ball-Shaped aquamarines emit energy in all directions equally. They are used as windows to the past or the future by moving energy through time. These balls are often used for scrying.

Square crystals concentrate energy inside themselves and are used for grounding and anchoring intention. Pyramidal crystals are used to pull away negative energy and clear blocked chakras.

Egg-shaped crystals are also used to clear blockages. These crystals are used for acupressure and reflexology and are held in the hand in times of stress.

Wands are traditionally used by shamans and healers. They can focus energy tightly through their tip and have immense healing abilities. When using a wand, the user needs to allow the healing energy to flow through the crown chakra down the arm to the hand and into the wand.

The wand amplifies the energy and allows it to pass to the patient. A person should not use their own energy when they use a wand, for it will leave them depleted.

Aquamarines, like other crystals, need to be programmed before they are used for healing. This simply means they need to be dedicated to the purpose the person wants to use them for. The crystal should be cleansed then programmed soon after.

To program a crystal, hold it in the hand. The person should picture light surrounding it and say, “I dedicate this crystal in light and love to the highest good of all.” The person should then close their eyes and open themselves up to guidance from their higher power.

They should be very specific when it comes to what they want the crystal to do. This could be physical healing from an illness, emotional healing from a trauma or to find love. When the person feels themselves in tune with the crystal they are holding, they should say, “I dedicate this crystal to [whatever purpose it is].”

After that, the crystal should be put in a place where the person will see it frequently. It can also be kept in a pocket or held two or three times a day. The crystal may need to be programmed a few times.

The aquamarine crystal can be cleansed by simply holding it under running water or placing it in a bowl of sea water or salt water. Crystals can also be cleansed by leaving them in sunlight or moonlight for a few hours.
Aquamarine Meditation

Meditation is an excellent way to access the energies of the aquamarine crystal. Before meditation, cleanse the crystal to purify its energies. If a person has different colored crystals, it may benefit them to meditate with each crystal according to its position on the rainbow.

For example, they may meditate with a red crystal on the first day. Then they can move through amber, yellow and green until they finally reach the blue of aquamarine.

Before the meditation session, make sure that there will be no disturbances, especially from the telephone. Sit comfortably with the crystal. Hold it in both hands, or put it on a low table. Begin by breathing gently. Let each exhalation be a bit longer than the last one.

During the exhalations, let go of stress or tension. When breathing in, allow peace to enter with each inhalation. Breathe in and out until an easy rhythm is established.

Then, look at the crystal. Study its shape and color, and be aware of its weight if it is being held in the hands. Notice its vibrations as it is being held. The meditator should let their thoughts and imagination wander through the crystal, especially if it has inclusions and fault lines.

Then, the meditator should close their eyes, and consider the energy of the crystal. They should allow the crystal to speak to them.

When the meditation is complete, the meditator should open their eyes and place the crystal where it is usually kept. The best way to keep a crystal that is not being used is to wrap it in its own silk scarf or place it in its own velvet pouch. This prevents it from being scratched or picking up unhealthy vibrations.
Aquamarine Birthstone

Aquamarine is the March birthstone.
Aquamarine Zodiac Sign

Aquamarine’s zodiac sign is Pisces, the twelfth sign of the zodiac. This is fitting because Pisces is a water sign. Though it looks like two fish swimming in opposite directions while yoked together, the original symbol was two seahorses or sea lions.

They are symbols of life after death and the struggle of the soul as it inhabits the body. The Sun is in Pisces from February 21 to March 20. The sign expresses the qualities of water, which are cold, moist and negative. Its ruler is Jupiter, though some astrologers believe it is Neptune.
Aquamarine Chakra

The chakra that is influenced by the aquamarine is the throat chakra. The word chakra comes from the Sanskrit word for “wheel,” and a chakra is a spot of spinning, subtle energy.

These wheels channel and center the meridians and energy points that are used by acupuncturists and energy healers. There are eight main chakras, and they are found in a line down the spinal column.

When all of the chakras are functioning the right way, the subtle energies are balanced and harmonious. If they are not harmonious, illness can occur. This illness can be mental, physical or spiritual.

Many healers believe that the vibrations of crystals such as aquamarine can correct malfunctioning chakras.