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Aquamarine

Named after seawater, aquamarine’s fresh watery hue is a cool plunge into a refreshing pool.

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Three light-to-medium blue carved sculptures sit in a line – from larger to smaller.

Article

Making the Cut: The Art and Science of Fantasy Carving

Sharon Bohannon, January 10, 2020

Gem cutters - whether “gem whisperers” or mathematicians - create breathtakingly artistic individual gems and sculptures.

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A green-blue specimen was identified as Maxixe-type beryl.

Green-Blue Maxixe-Type Beryl

Gagan Choudhary
, August 9, 2018

A transparent greenish blue pear-shaped gemstone, reportedly from Madagascar, is discovered to be a Maxixe-type beryl.

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Map of main aquamarine deposits of northern Pakistan.

Aquamarine from Pakistan

Yang Hu and Ren Lu, May 11, 2018

A gemological investigation of the aquamarine that has emerged from northern Pakistan in recent years.

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Five aquamarines cut by Arnoldi International

Multi-Generation Cutting Family from Idar-Oberstein

Wim Vertriest, May 11, 2018

Alexander Arnoldi explains the strategy of Arnoldi International and provides an update on some new high-quality materials.

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Aquamarine carving by Michael Dyber

Michael Dyber’s Innovative Gem Carving

Duncan Pay and Jennifer-Lynn Archuleta, May 11, 2018

Michael Dyber discusses his approach to gem carving.

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Faceted quartz egg.

Exhibition Review: Gemstone Carvings: The Masterworks of Harold Van Pelt

Jennifer-Lynn Archuleta, November 8, 2017

A review of Gemstone Carvings: The Masterworks of Harold Van Pelt at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California.

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This aquamarine crystal showed iridescence as it is turned under a moving light source.

Mysterious Iridescence in Aquamarine

Nicole Ahline and Maryam Mastery Salimi, August 7, 2017

A rough aquamarine crystal shows an unexpected phenomenon.

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Multi-colored gems are superimposed on an image of glacier peaks.

Article

Gems and Minerals from the Subarctic

Sharon Bohannon, March 17, 2017

Circumnavigate the boreal reaches of the globe to explore gems from polar regions.

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Aquamarine with a dramatic secondary growth layer

Unusual Growth Zoning in Beryl

Nathan Renfro and Ziyin Sun, November 7, 2016

A striking aquamarine specimen showed a strongly saturated secondary growth layer.

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Aquamarine from San Luis Potosí State in northern Mexico

Aquamarine from a New Primary Deposit in Mexico

Mikhail Ostrooumov, November 7, 2016

Examination of aquamarine samples from a new primary deposit in San Luis Potosí, northern Mexico.

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This Month's

Featured Gems

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Peridot

Found in lava, meteorites, and deep in the earth’s mantle, yellow-green peridot is the extreme gem.

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Fancy Color Diamond

Dazzling brilliance. Captivating color. These are the planet’s most valued gems.

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Diamond

Diamonds are among nature’s most precious and beautiful creations.

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Emerald

Emerald is the bluish green to green variety of beryl, a mineral species that includes aquamarine.

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Citrine

Citrine is the transparent, pale yellow to brownish orange variety of quartz.

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