Aquamarine is named for sea water, and the stone earns it — the color runs from a pale blue that is almost clear to a deeper blue-green that looks wet even when it is dry. Five pieces here, and every one of them sits at the calm end of the collection.
The blue, and how it is cut
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Pale aquamarine reads almost like clear quartz until it is held against white.
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Deeper blue-green holds its color in dim light, where the pale stone greys out.
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Plain beads show the color as a wash along the strand rather than a strong line.
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Wire-wrapped pieces leave the stone open on the wrist, with no setting covering the surface.
Two pieces here are double-wraps, and one is a shell shape cut along the curve of the stone. Aquamarine is soft-looking enough that it gets cut into forms other stones would not take.
A hard stone that looks soft
Aquamarine is beryl — the same mineral family as emerald — which makes it one of the harder stones in this shop. It will take years of daily wear without showing it, which is unusual for a stone this pale.
In this collection it is strung with pearl, clear quartz, and shell, and the pieces are grouped with the other calm and peace pieces.
Wearing it
Hard enough for everyday, and it does not need to come off for washing your hands. Keep it away from harder stones in a box so the polish stays.
Choose the depth of blue you want. The pale ones go quiet on the wrist; the deeper ones look like sea water in light.
