“In like a lion, out like a lamb.” In addition to describing the fluctuating month of March, this is just as true of the Pisces and Aries who claim aquamarine as their birthstone. Aquamarine literally means “water of the sea,” a fitting name for the transparent, blue-green variety of the mineral beryl – the same mineral that makes an emerald.
Ancient legend has it that the original aquamarine was a treasure hidden in a mermaid’s chest until it spilled out and was discovered by humankind. It was traditionally considered a good luck gem for sailors, signifying the sea’s blessing on extended voyages. Said to bring happiness to a new marriage and joy and wealth to any woman who wears it (similar to diamonds), aquamarine is rumored to gain potency by being immersed in sunlit water.
Aquamarines have been worn by kings and queens as far back as the Ancient Egyptians, who fashioned the stones into animal-shaped amulets that would protect their energy and personal strength. The Romans believed the gem would expose evil and cure anything from simple laziness to eye trouble, irregular breathing, and hiccups. In fact, the Roman emperor, Nero, is said to have used aquamarines as primitive eyeglasses to help him see, long before glass lenses existed. In the 19th century, Chinese artists carved bottles and sculptures from large, polished aquamarines.
The popularity of the aquamarine in North America may have begun with a heart-shaped stone given to Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, as a wedding gift in 1906. Shortly after she was crowned Monarch of England in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a matched set of aquamarine jewelry.
The sea blue gemstone was originally mined in Madagascar, but today most of the finest aquamarines come from Brazil and Mozambique. The stones that are deepest in color, and thus most valuable, are named after the mines in which they were found, such as the Santa Maria aquamarine that was mined at Santa Maria de Itabira in Brazil.
Aquamarine occurs in a range of shades, from the palest sky blue to the cobalt blue of deep sea water. Its color is clear and even, with few marks or inclusions, and is flattering to almost every skin tone. The stone’s versatility has made it nearly as popular as rubies, sapphires, and emeralds for use in fashion and engagement jewelry. In general, the darker and bluer a stone is, the more valuable, so aquamarines of paler color or with a greenish tinge are less desirable.
In addition to serving as the birthstone for March, aquamarine is considered the official gemstone for the 19th wedding anniversary. It is said to strengthen the mind and bring out courage, and is also reputed to help couples overcome their differences and work toward a lasting, loving relationship.
Categories: Education, Gems
Congratulations—you’re engaged! And even though the last thing you want to think about is something bad happening to your diamond engagement ring, the possibility is always there. To protect your precious investment, it’s strongly recommended that you open a comprehensive insurance policy that covers your loose diamond.
There are many options when it comes to insuring your engagement ring. Homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies are usually the first sources of coverage considered by consumers, since most people already have one of these in place and assume it will be easy to add their diamond ring to the existing policy with only a negligible increase in their premiums. However, it’s important to note that homeowner’s and renter’s policies have certain limitations. While these types of policies will cover your diamond engagement ring if your house sustains damage as a result of a natural disaster, they are not likely to cover incidental damage to the ring from everyday accidents.
Another option for covering your diamond ring is taking out an actual value policy. This type of policy first considers the purchase price of the ring and then subtracts a depreciation factor for each year that you own it. One potential drawback is that a claim received for your ring today most likely won’t be enough to purchase another ring of equal cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.
A third and fourth option are a replacement policy, which replaces your original engagement ring with a ring of the exact same specifications, and a “valued at” policy, in which you select the appropriate monetary value of the ring and the insurance company honors the resulting figure regardless of its actual appraisal value. Since these types of policies offer the most benefit for a ring’s worth, these are typically the most expensive coverage plans.
It is important to note that most insurance companies will require that you provide a gemological appraisal to verify the replacement value of your certified diamond. Each Brilliance product comes with a free gemological appraisal issued by a master gemologist. We also provide complimentary re-appraisals to adjust your item’s value as it appreciates over time.
Whatever type of jewelry insurance policy you choose, be sure that you understand the terms and conditions before finalizing the contract. Ask your agent specific questions, such as:
Is my ring covered in the instance of accidental loss, damage, or theft?
Am I limited to a specific network of gemologists when replacing my engagement ring?
Are there any circumstances under which my policy would not honor a claim?
Must I have had the policy in place for a certain period of time or have paid a certain amount in premiums before any claims can be made against it?
Remember, even a basic policy is better than nothing. You can always choose to upgrade later. With an insurance policy in place, you won’t be able to prevent mishaps, but you’ll be able to recoup some of your initial investment.
For more information about purchasing an engagement ring and getting it insured, contact a Brilliance diamond and jewelry expert at 1-866-737-0754.
Categories: Brilliance, Education, Engagement
You don’t have to visit a natural history museum to have an up-close and personal encounter with a geological phenomenon. In fact, if you’ve got a diamond engagement ring, diamond earrings, or a diamond bracelet, you may be wearing one right now! To fully understand the natural wonder of diamonds, let’s take a look at how they’re formed.
The word “diamond” originates from the Greek word “adamas”, meaning indestructible and invincible. Diamonds are the only gems composed entirely of carbon. The sixth most common element on earth, carbon is present in all organic molecules. With regard to diamond formation, it’s the particular arrangement of the carbon atoms that makes each stone truly unique.
Diamonds are the crystalline form of elemental carbon, with carbon atoms arranged in an isometric-hexocrahedral crystal lattice that is remarkably hard and disperses light well. In order for diamonds to form, carbon must undergo very specific conditions. The air pressure must range between 45 and 60 kilobars (60,000 times normal air pressure at sea level) and the temperature must be between 1652 and 2372 F (900-1300 C).
Diamonds are formed deep within the earth’s lithospheric mantle, located 75-120 miles beneath the earth’s surface. At these great depths, the carbon atoms in the earth’s mantle and in fossilized microorganisms are subjected to intense pressure and temperature changes. When carbon-rich rock submerges in the earth’s mantle, carbon atoms become liquefied. When the temperature dips and specific pressure and temperature conditions are met, the carbon atoms then crystallize and form diamond-bearing rock.
Once the loose diamond has formed and hardened, it can take thousands of years for geologic events to bring the crystals to the surface where they can be mined. One way diamonds are brought to the surface is via volcanic pipes, which are carrot-shaped magma channels of deep-origin volcanoes. In volcanic pipes, magma has carried deep-formed rocks and minerals to the surface where they can be mined as a primary source of diamonds. Secondary sources of diamonds include areas where water or wind has eroded the surface of volcanic pipes, such as alluvial deposits that are found along riverbeds and shorelines.
The diamond ore mining process is labor intensive, and yields a very small fraction of actual diamonds. Only 25% of the mined diamonds are considered of a high enough quality to be used in fine jewelry, with the remainder being used as abrasives or for the industrial use of diamond cutting, drilling, grinding, and polishing equipment. Today, most gem-quality diamonds are mined in Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Canada, and Australia.
Understanding how diamonds are formed results in a greater appreciation of this geological marvel. From the time carbon atoms are liquefied in the earth’s lithospheric mantle until they reach your finger or earlobe can span an astonishing 45 million years. The diamond’s longevity, brilliance, and complexity combine to make it the consummate symbol of eternal love and loyalty.
Categories: Diamonds, Education
Just before Christmas, detectives from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department pried open a crate outside a warehouse to find something they had been chasing for months: an 840-pound Brazilian emerald that had been reported stolen.
Now, if they could just figure out who owns it. So far, at least five people have come forward to say it’s theirs.
“It seems like the more we talk to people, the more people claim to have ownership over this thing,” said Lt. Thomas Grubb, who heads the sheriff’s investigative team on the case. “We haven’t determined who’s not a suspect, really.”
Unable to determine who the real owner is, Lt. Grubb decided to keep the emerald locked up while the investigation proceeds. Meanwhile, a Los Angeles civil court is scheduled to hear from different claimants in the case on Tuesday.
Lt. Grubb, who had spent the bulk of his 26-year career conducting narcotics investigations, first got onto the case last September. A distraught man named Larry Biegler had called the sheriff’s office to say that his giant emerald had been stolen from a Los Angeles-area warehouse where he had been keeping it. It was worth nearly $400 million, he said.
Lt. Grubb’s detectives began investigating.
The emerald, they determined, was in the possession of two businessmen named Todd Armstrong and Kit Morrison, whom detectives tracked to a small town called Eagle, in western Idaho. When the detectives arrived in Eagle, Mr. Armstrong was in the process of trying to sell the emerald to a buyer. “We’ve run into a small snag,” Mr. Armstrong says he told his buyer.
The Idaho men said the emerald belonged to them. They said in an interview they paid Mr. Biegler $1 million for diamonds he never delivered. Mr. Biegler had put the emerald up as collateral, they say, for the stones. When the diamonds didn’t materialize, they picked up the emerald from the warehouse in Los Angeles. They showed investigators a stack of documents they said prove their claim. See full article at wsj.com…
Categories: Gems, News
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