Aquamarine is the color of calm water on a summer morning, and its legends are all about the sea: sailors, mermaids, safe voyages and gifts that crossed oceans. Here are our favorite legends and true stories of aquamarine. Follow the links to read each one as a full tale.
โ The Sailors' Talisman
Its name means "water of the sea," and for centuries sailors carried aquamarine to calm the waves and bring them safely home. Some even said it was the treasure of mermaids.
๐ Read the full tale: The Stone That Brought Him Home
๐ The Dom Pedro
A giant crystal found in Brazil was dropped and broke apart, and a gem artist carved the largest piece into a glowing obelisk of over 10,000 carats: the largest cut aquamarine in the world, now at the Smithsonian.
๐ Read the full story: The Luckiest Accident in Brazil
๐ Eleanor Roosevelt's Aquamarine
In 1936, Brazil's president gave the First Lady a 1,298-carat aquamarine, at the time the largest cut aquamarine in the world, as a gift of friendship between two nations.
๐ Read the full story: A Gift From the Sea of Brazil
๐ A Queen's Coronation Gift
For Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, the people of Brazil gave her a necklace and earrings of magnificent aquamarines. She loved them so much that she later had a matching tiara made, and wore her Brazilian aquamarines for the rest of her life.
๐ The Stone of Happy Marriages
In many traditions, aquamarine was given as a wedding or anniversary gift, believed to bring happiness, harmony and lasting love to a marriage. Today it is the traditional gift for a 19th anniversary.
๐ What Aquamarine Means
Calm & serenity
Courage
Safe travels
Happy, harmonious love
Aquamarine is March's birthstone, a breath of spring and the sea.
โจ Final Thoughts
A vintage aquamarine is a little piece of calm water you can carry with you. Give one to someone setting out on a new journey, and you give them a wish to come home safe.
Thinking of buying aquamarine? Read our Aquamarine Jewelry Guide first.
๐๏ธ Find Your Aquamarine Story
Explore vintage and antique aquamarine jewelry at 322 Royal Street or online.
