Beryl
var Aquamarine
Aquamarine (from Latin: aqua
marina, being, water : sea, i.e. sea
water, marīna, from marīnus; of the sea.
) is a blue or cyan variety of beryl. It
occurs at most localities which yield
ordinary beryl. The gem-gravel placer
deposits of Sri Lanka contain
aquamarine. Clear yellow beryl, such as
that occurring in Brazil, is sometimes
called aquamarine chrysolite. The deep
blue version of aquamarine is called
maxixe. Maxixe is commonly found in the
country of Madagascar. Its color fades
to white when exposed to sunlight or is
subjected to heat treatment, though the
color returns with irradiation.
The pale blue color of aquamarine is
attributed to Fe2+. Fe3+ ions produce
golden-yellow color, and when both Fe2+
and Fe3+ are present, the color is a
darker blue as in maxixe. Decoloration
of maxixe by light or heat thus may be
due to the charge transfer between Fe3+
and Fe2+. Dark-blue maxixe color can be
produced in green, pink or yellow beryl
by irradiating it with high-energy
particles (gamma rays, neutrons or even
X-rays).
In the United States, aquamarines can be
found at the summit of Mt. Antero in the
Sawatch Range in central Colorado. In
Wyoming, aquamarine has been discovered
in the Big Horn Mountains, near Powder
River Pass. Another location within the
United States is the Sawtooth Range near
Stanley, Idaho, although the minerals
are within a wilderness area which
prevents collecting. In Brazil, there
are mines in the states of Minas Gerais,
Espírito Santo, and Bahia, and minorly
in Rio Grande do Norte. The mines of
Colombia, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi,
Tanzania and Kenya also produce
aquamarine.
The largest aquamarine of gemstone
quality ever mined was found in
Marambaia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in
1910. It weighed over 110 kg (240 lb),
and its dimensions were 48.5 cm (19 in)
long and 42 cm (17 in) in diameter. The
largest cut aquamarine gem is the Dom
Pedro aquamarine, now housed in the
Smithsonian Institution's National
Museum of Natural History.
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