Marches Birthtone

The birthstone for March is aquamarine.

The fresh pale blue colors with a very slight hint of green are reminiscent of

tropical lagoons and, because of its hue, there many superstitions linked with the

ocean and water.

Aquamarine gets its name from the Latin for water “aqua” and “marina” meaning

sea.

These wonderful gemstones are mined in the USA in the states of Colorado,

Wyoming, and Idaho. The stones are also found and extracted from sources in

Brazil, Madagascar and many African countries.

Marches birthstone typically comes out of the ground a more greenish blue so is

often heat treated to bring out the clear light blue color.

However, when gems are found in their natural state that are already clear blue

,and do not need any heat

Unfortunately, it was dropped by the finders and shattered unto three large

pieces, two of which were sold to be cut down to make many smaller gems for

jewelry.

However, the largest piece was retained and as much of the gemstone as

possible was saved and turned into an obelisk shape sculptor by German gem

artist Bernd Munsteiner.

The beautiful Dom Pedro Obelisk was named after Brazils first two emperors.

Measuring 14 inches tall and weighing almost 5 pounds, it is the largest cut

aquamarine in the word.The obelisk now resides in the Smithsonian National

Museum of Natural History were it can be viewed by the public.

So now you know the birthstone for March is aquamarine, you also have an idea

of where it’s been found and mined. Let’s take a peek into some of the myths

and legends that surround this mesmerizing and beautiful gem.

As mentioned earlier many of the beliefs come from a connection to water such

as, sailors wearing and using it for luck. Marches birthstone is also believed to

alleviate travel sickness, especially at sea, as its influential powers become