Variety · Beryl group
Aquamarine
Be3Al2(Si6O18)
Aquamarine is blue to blue-green beryl from Pakistan (Shigar Valley, on muscovite), Brazil, Nigeria, Namibia's Erongo and Vietnam. Transparent, sharp, gem-quality prisms on matrix are the premium specimens; Erongo aquamarine with schorl and feldspar is the affordable classic. Most cut aquamarine is heated to remove green; specimens are usually untreated.
| Formula | Be3Al2(Si6O18) |
|---|---|
| IMA status | variety |
| Crystal system | Hexagonal |
| Mohs hardness | 7.5–8 |
| Group | Beryl group |
| Type locality | None (variety) |
Fakes and treatments
Greenish beryl is heated to pure blue for gems; some 'aquamarine' crystals are glass or synthetic spinel.
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Strata. "Aquamarine" (Mineral). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/aquamarine. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-aquamarine,
title = {Aquamarine},
author = {{Stratum Strata}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/minerals/aquamarine}},
year = {2026},
note = {Mineral article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.