2027 Forecast

Pale blue to blue-green

Aquamarine birthstone

Aquamarine, the birthstone for March, is beryllium aluminum silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl colored by iron, pale blue to blue-green, rated 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Traditionally, it is linked to calm communication and steadiness under pressure — attributed, not demonstrated.

Mohs hardness
7.5–8 scratches window glass
Crystal system
Hexagonal Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈
Pliny, AD 77
Book 37.20 as “beryllus”
Main sources today
Brazil also Nigeria, Madagascar

Pliny, Natural History, tr. Bostock and Riley.

Stones described in similar terms: topaz, emerald, tourmaline, sardonyx, peridot and pearl.

Listed under: March birthstone and Pisces birthstones.

Linked in crystal practice with the throat chakra.

Further along the same lines: alexandrite, sapphire and garnet.

Aquamarine Birthstone: The March Stone and Its Meaning

Is Aquamarine a birthstone?

Yes. Aquamarine is the modern birthstone for March.

By zodiac sign it belongs to Pisces.

Properties

Composition Beryllium aluminum silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl colored by iron
Hardness (Mohs) 7.5–8
Crystal system Hexagonal
Color Pale blue to blue-green
Mined in Brazil, Nigeria, Madagascar, Pakistan, Zambia

Worth knowing

Same mineral family as emerald. The difference is the trace element: iron makes aquamarine, chromium makes emerald.

History

The name is Latin for “water of the sea”, and sailors’ lore made it a charm against drowning.

Buying

Buying Aquamarine: fakes, value and treatments

What it is confused with

Blue topaz and glass are the common look-alikes. Blue topaz is usually a more electric blue and feels heavier for its size; aquamarine often has a faint greenish cast.

What decides the price

Deeper blue fetches more, and clean crystals are common enough that size adds less premium than with most gems. Heating to remove green tints is routine and stable.

Where it is used

Its clarity suits large step cuts, so aquamarine is a favorite for statement rings and pendants.

A less familiar fact

The Dom Pedro aquamarine in the Smithsonian, cut in Germany from a Brazilian crystal, weighs about 10,363 carats.

Practical

Caring for Aquamarine

How to clean it

Warm soapy water. Ultrasonic is usually safe, but not if the stone has visible inclusions.

How to tell it is real

Blue glass and blue topaz are the common substitutes. Aquamarine is pleochroic — tilt it and the blue shifts between blue and near-colorless. Glass does not.

How to store stones so they do not scratch each other →

How hard is Aquamarine?

Aquamarine is a beryl, like emerald, but clean crystals are common and it lacks emerald’s filled fractures, so it is the more forgiving of the two in a ring worn every day. Only Emerald shares its place on our scale. Among the stones in this reference, the next softer is Tourmaline (7–7.5) and the next harder Spinel (8).

Aquamarine on the Mohs hardness scale
Aquamarine on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10), with the 43 stones of our reference as dots and Aquamarine (7.5–8) marked as a bar.Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Aquamarine 7.5–8Garnet: Mohs 6.5–7.5Amethyst: Mohs 7Citrine: Mohs 7Rose Quartz: Mohs 7Clear Quartz: Mohs 7Smoky Quartz: Mohs 7Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Emerald: Mohs 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Peridot: Mohs 6.5–7Sardonyx: Mohs 6.5–7Zircon: Mohs 6–7.5Carnelian: Mohs 6.5–7Onyx: Mohs 6.5–7Agate: Mohs 6.5–7Tiger's Eye: Mohs 6.5–7Aventurine: Mohs 6.5–7Diamond: Mohs 10Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Labradorite: Mohs 6–6.5Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5Ruby: Mohs 9Sapphire: Mohs 9Spinel: Mohs 8Topaz: Mohs 8Opal: Mohs 5.5–6.5Rhodonite: Mohs 5.5–6.5Tourmaline: Mohs 7–7.5Turquoise: Mohs 5–6Lapis Lazuli: Mohs 5–6Hematite: Mohs 5–6Tanzanite: Mohs 6–7Jade: Mohs 6–7Obsidian: Mohs 5–5.5Malachite: Mohs 3.5–4Amber: Mohs 2–2.5Selenite: Mohs 2Fluorite: Mohs 4Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Kyanite: Mohs 4.5–7Lepidolite: Mohs 2.5–31Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5window glass 5.5household dust (quartz) 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com
Aquamarine on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10), with the 43 stones of our reference as dots and Aquamarine (7.5–8) marked as a bar.Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Aquamarine 7.5–81Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5glass 5.5dust 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com

Aquamarine, at 7.5–8, is harder than 35 of the other 42 stones here and softer than 6.

Primary source

What Pliny the Elder wrote about Aquamarine

Pliny on beryllus
“Beryls, it is thought, are of the same nature as the smaragdus, or at least closely analogous. India produces them, and they are rarely to be found elsewhere.”
He adds
“The most esteemed beryls are those which in colour resemble the pure green of the sea…”
Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley (London: H. G. Bohn, 1855–57), book 37, chapter 20 — read the original text. Aquamarine is the sea-blue variety of beryl, the mineral Pliny describes here — and his guess that beryl is “of the same nature as the smaragdus” was right: emerald is a beryl too. Who Pliny was and why we quote him →

Traditional associations

Aquamarine is traditionally linked to calm communication and steadiness under pressure. Chakra in crystal practice: Throat. Element: Water.

What is measured here and what is tradition →

Questions about Aquamarine

What is Aquamarine made of?

Beryllium aluminum silicate (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) — beryl colored by iron, crystallizing in the hexagonal system.

Which month is Aquamarine the birthstone for?

March.

Where does Aquamarine come from?

Brazil, Nigeria, Madagascar, Pakistan, Zambia.

Can Aquamarine be worn every day?

Yes. It rates 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale, and the main thing to watch is ultrasonic cleaning of stones with visible inclusions.

← All gemstones

Sources

  1. Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley (London: H. G. Bohn, 1855–57), book 37, chapter 20

Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “Aquamarine Birthstone: The March Stone and Its Meaning.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/aquamarine/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=Aquamarine Birthstone: The March Stone and Its Meaning |url=https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/aquamarine/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}