The palest aquamarines look almost as clear as white diamonds.
Aquamarines, the clear, pale blue to blue-green semiprecious gems, share their chemical structure with emeralds. Like emeralds, these beryl gemstones have a hardness of 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale; unlike their green relatives, aquamarines are typically as clear as pure water. Couples might choose an aquamarine engagement ring for its intrinsic beauty, its personal symbolism, or as an economical alternative to diamond jewelry.
Instructions
1. Decide on a preferred color. Aquamarines vary from the palest blue-green to a vivid aqua hue that resembles the waters of a tropical beach. Deeper colors cost more, but lighter aquamarines have greater brilliance.
2. Choose a setting style. Traditional engagement solitaires work as well for aquamarines as they do for diamonds, but other options include paired-stone rings that symbolize the couple; tri-stone rings to celebrate a past, present and future; and central aquamarines with a surround of smaller diamonds to highlight the main stone.
3. Pick a price range. As semiprecious gems, aquamarines cost less than the precious gemstones that traditionally adorn engagement rings. This relatively common gemstone does not increase in price per carat as precious gems do, so if the ring's wearer loves the drama of a large stone, aquamarine makes an economical choice.
4. Clean prospective purchases with a soft jewelry cleaning cloth if the jeweler has not already cleaned it. Handling gems leaves oily deposits on their surfaces, dimming the aquamarines' brilliance.
5. Examine each ring's stone or stones with a jeweler's loupe. These lenses provide 10X magnification that will highlight any flaws within the stone. Pay close attention to edges and facets where the lapidary may have nicked the gem during polishing.
6. Pass on any stone with flaws no matter how slight they appear. Clear, high-quality gem deposits occur so frequently that retail aquamarines should not contain inclusions or chips; any stone that does will not withstand the rigors of daily wear that engagement jewelry must endure.
7. Ask for documentation on the gem or for information about any color-enhancing treatments. Heat treatment turns a blue-green aquamarine into a deeper, truer blue; the process does no harm to the gem, but shoppers who want an entirely natural stone should look for the distinctive greenish hue that untreated aquamarines have.
Tips Warnings
Aquamarine is March's birthstone.
Because of their crystalline structure, aquamarines take readily to unusual shapes beyond traditional round, oval and pear cuts; look for them in striking contemporary step cuts and triangles.
Jewelers can design wrap-around wedding bands to fit unusual engagement ring shapes for buyers who want a unique ring that still pairs with traditional wedding jewelry.
Shop estate sales and vintage jewelry sources to find quality aquamarines.
Unscrupulous jewelry dealers once passed tinted glass off as aquamarine; a thorough loupe examination that turns up small bubbles or rounded facets will distinguish glass from gemstones.
Tags: aquamarine, engagement, ring, aquamarines have, semiprecious gems
