Aquamarine appears at its best when the gem stones are able to show their brilliant clarity with a plentiful light source. Brazil was previously the world’s major supplier of aquamarines; however, today, African nations, such as Nigeria and Madagascar, provide a greater supply of this timeless gemstone.Aquamarines are often eye-clean, and any inclusions within this blue gemstone can easily be seen. A variety of sizes are readily available, and as the size increases, the color of aquamarines tends to intensify. This beautiful gem receives its coloring from trace amount of iron. The color can be very light to moderately dark. You will rarely see an aqua that is darker than a Swiss blue topaz and when you do the color is usually enhanced by the way they are cut. There is a very dark blue aqua that came on the market about three decades ago, called the Maxixe aquamarine. This is an irradiated product and the color isn’t stable. These have mostly disappeared from the market, but if you are ever offered a very deep blue aquamarine, be cautious. Most aquamarines come out of the ground with a greenish tint. This will disappear, leaving a pure blue color by heating to 375 degrees Centigrade. Heating aqua to remove its green tinting is very common and used to be done as a matter of routine. Now we have a more sophisticated public and many of them are starting to appreciate the slightly green gems, knowing that they haven’t been heat treated. This process is impossible to distinguish, so pure blue aquamarines are described as “probably heat treated.”
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