What is the Birthstone for March?
March is the month of renewal. We leave the cold dark winter months behind us and embrace Spring and new beginnings. For many, it’s a time of spring cleaning or home renovations making our surroundings brighter and cheerier with colour.
March Birthstones Aquamarine and Bloodstone
March has two birthstones; aquamarine a modern birthstone and bloodstone, a more traditional birthstone.
The historical birthstone for March was jasper
Jasper and bloodstone are sometimes mistakenly thought to be one and the same stone.
First a look at the aquamarine.
March Birthstone Aquamarine
Aquamarine is a beautiful calming and rich in colour, blue-green gemstone.
How is Aquamarine Formed?
March birthstone aquamarine is formed over millions of years when magma cools, solidifies and traps water in cavities. The cavity pockets crystalize and form rocks called pegmatite.
Within the pegmatite one of the minerals which can be formed is beryl. Aquamarine is the blue-green variety of beryl. The green variety of beryl is Emerald, the birthstone for May.
Where is Aquamarine Found?
Aquamarine is found in Angola, Kenya, central Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Mozambique, Pakistan, the Ural Mountains in Russia, Tanzania, Colorado / USA, and Zambia.
However, the majority of mined aquamarine is found in Brazil.
Is Aquamarine Heat-Treated?
As with most gemstones, the majority of commercial aquamarines have been heat-treated.
What Colour is Aquamarine?
Aquamarine is green-blue, the richer and darker the hue, the more rare and valuable the gemstone.
Aquamarine can be blue, somewhat green-blue, green-blue, fully green-blue.
According to Wiki:
Not to be confused with Blue-green. Aquamarine is a color that is a light bluish tint of green that is in-between cyan and green on the color wheel.
How Much is Aquamarine Worth per Carat?
March birthstone aquamarine is priced by the clarity, colour, and purity of the colour. The carat price is not as important as with other gemstones.
Does Aquamarine Scratch Easily?
With a score of 7.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, the aquamarine has a good hardness. It’s quite robust and not easily scratched. It’s an ideal gemstone for all pieces of jewellery.
Whatever the hardness of your gemstones, always take good care of your jewellery and try to avoid knocks on hard surfaces and carrying out hard work when wearing rings.
How do I Clean my Aquamarine Jewellery?
Clean your aquamarine birthstone jewellery with mild luke-warm soapy water. Carefully brush with a soft toothbrush and rinse well. Dry and polish with a soft cloth.
Can Aquamarine be used in an Engagement Ring?
Yes! Aquamarine is an ideal gemstone to use in an engagement ring. A beautiful, spectacular gemstone, what more could you ask for in an engagement ring?
Aquamarines are often sold in the Emerald or Set Cut. Make sure the cut enhances the clarity and lustre of the stone. As with most gemstones, a bad Cut will take away all sparkle. The facets should be symmetrical.
11 Fun Facts, Myths & Legends
As its name suggests March birthstone aquamarine is named after the beautiful colour aquamarine derived from the sea. The Romans gave aquamarine its name which comes from the Latin Aqua=Water and Marina=Sea.
Aquamarine is believed by many to come from jewel caskets of Sirens washed ashore and considered sacred to Neptune the Roman god of the Sea. Therefore, aquamarine was believed to protect sailors and guarantee them a safe voyage and also protect them from seasickness.
The first documented aquamarine was from 480-300 BC. It was found in Greek amulets engraved with Poseidon, the Greek god of the Sea on a chariot.
It is said Emperor Nero used aquamarine as an eyeglass 2000 years ago.
Aquamarine supposedly cools the temper and makes the wearer level-headed, instils courage, joins us in love and rekindles lost love.
The Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrews all wore aquamarine believing it would bring victory in battle.
Aquamarine was ground to powder and used to heal infections of the eyes, stomach, liver, and throat.
Aquamarines were used in Germany to correct short-sightedness. The German word for glasses is Brille which derives from Beryl.
The chemical formula for aquamarine is Be₃Al₂SiO₆.
19th wedding anniversaries are celebrated with aquamarines.
Aquamarine birthstone jewellery is ideal for all occasions, not just birthdays. Anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, engagements, graduation and many more.
March Birthstone Aquamarine, A Few Ideas For You
Aquamarine Birthstone Rings
Aquamarine Birthstone Necklaces
Aquamarine Birthstone Earrings
Aquamarine Birthstone Bracelets
March Birthstone Bloodstone
The second birthstone for March is bloodstone. Although the two birthstones for March are very different in appearance, they symbolise similar things.
How is Bloodstone Formed?
Bloodstone is a dark green variety of chalcedony, a form of quartz with a splatter of bright red, formed in cavities in rocks.
Where is Bloodstone Found?
The majority of bloodstone is mined in India. Other countries mining bloodstone are Australia, Brazil, China, and Madagascar. Small deposits have been found in the USA.
Is Bloodstone Heat-Treated?
Bloodstone is one of the very few gemstones not usually dyed, heat-treated or enhanced in any other way.
Your bloodstone is a natural stone
What Colour is Bloodstone?
Bloodstones are mostly dark green with a splatter of red. Other colours can be found, blue-grey, green-brown and brown.
Formations of iron oxide will add a yellow spotting.
Does Bloodstone Scratch Easily?
Bloodstone is fairly tough with a Mohs Hardness Scale score of 7.0. As with all gemstones, care should always be taken to avoid hard knocks and carrying out heavy work when wearing jewellery, especially rings.
How do I Clean my Bloodstone Jewellery?
Clean your bloodstone jewellery with warm water and very mild soap. Rinse well and dry and polish with a soft cloth.
Bloodstones are coated with polish to enhance their beauty therefore, care should be taken when cleaning Bloodstone jewellery as aggressive cleaning chemicals can remove the polish.
Can Bloodstone be used in an Engagement Ring?
March birthstone bloodstone engagement rings are probably few and far between however, this doesn’t make them less ideal than other gemstones.
You could consider designing your own engagement ring. For example, a bloodstone with a diamond cluster is a beautiful vintage look.
10 Fun Facts, Myths & Legends
March birthstone bloodstone is also known as Heliotrope, Greek for “to turn to the sun” probably due to beliefs the red spots were signs of the sun being reflected from the stone. It is also sometimes called plasma. Plasma is deep green, opaque with little red specks and has some yellow spots. Heliotrope is lighter with red markings.
Bloodstone is cut in most traditional cuts, primarily Emerald, Cushion, Oval, Octagonal and Cabochon.
Bloodstone was used by the Babylonians to make seals and amulets.
It’s believed by some people to have healing powers, stop bleeding, aid poor circulation and boost the spirit.
Bloodstone is sometimes called the Martyr’s Stone because according to legend, the stone was created when drops of Christ’s blood fell to earth onto the stones at the bottom of the cross.
Bloodstone is still carried as a lucky charm today, it is believed to increase strength and energy.
Bloodstone is associated with the Zodiac signs Aries, Pisces, and Scorpio.
The chemical formula for bloodstone is SiO₂.
The Birth Colours for March are White and Light Blue
The Birth Flowers for March are Jonquil and Violet
