Aquamarine grading?

[Nocturnius]

Just curious if there''s anyone out there that knows how aquamarines are graded and what would be considered a high-quality stone. I''ve read conflicting reports on color especially, some saying that the deeper the blue, the better the quality and some saying otherwise...

Thanks in advance!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Aquamarines are often heat treated to take away the green component. The "ideal" color is a moderately strong medium to dark blue without much green.

I prefer unheated greenish blue aquas. For me, the importance is in how vivid/saturated the color is.

Quality can be subjective. I say choose what hue you like!

 

[innerkitten]

I don''t know tons but I think the deeper blue is considered more desirable and is more expensive. But of course plenty of people like the sea foam green. I think having a lot of color either way and not being to washed out and pale is a big thing with aquamarine. Also look for good clarity, a good cut ( that always helps), and you might want to seek out an untreated stone.

 

[movie zombie]

aqua has been very popular stone for a LONG time.....and over that time what is considered desireable changes with the wind. at one time the greener the better, and now its the bluer the better. what really matters is what pleases you when it comes to color. however, cut can make a world of difference as it does with all color stones. aqual is almost always treated no matter the color.

movie zombie

ps the super ideal now is a very very blue, almost what i would call the color of a spring of pure water reflecting nothing but the sky. remember: aqua is evocative of water. however, i prefer the more carribean color with a tad more green, more aqua than blue......and it is less expensive because it is not the popular idealized color.

 

[innerkitten]

MZ, I don''t think I ever saw a pic of your aqua. Do you have one handy?
P.S. How are the cats?

 

[movie zombie]

i can''t get a good picture of my aqua....or my mali garnet. if i posted a picture of either you''d think i was crazy for having bought them and question my judgement! i have an older aqua that i''ve had since i was a kid that is somewhere around that is on the bluer side but still not the ideal for today. check out some of richard wise''s aqua for pictures of the ideal........

movie zombie

ps cats are doing well given everything.......stablized pretty much which is a very good thing! thanks for asking.

 

[chrono]

I have seen unheated aquas; very few but gorgeous. However, most have undergone heat treatment to help remove some green and grayishness. The deeper the colour and saturation, the more desirable it is. Most in the West (US) prefer blue aquas while those in Asia have a preference for greenish aquas. It''s all a matter what what you like. So if you are in the US and like the greenish aqua, you are likely to be offered more competitive pricing than the blue aquas as the demand isn''t that great.

 

[Catmom]

Count me in as one that likes the greenish blue color best. My aqua is one of the rarer unheated ones.

 

[innerkitten]

I have an unheated one too.
MZ, glad to hear the cats are hanging in there.

 

[movie zombie]

wow, we all seem to run counter to the popular blue is best trend!

movie zombie

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 8/23/2008 3:17:22 PM
Author: movie zombie
wow, we all seem to run counter to the popular blue is best trend!


movie zombie

Yah! I've always loved greenish blue--just in general. I think the blue that some refer to as ideal is too close to other gems. I like aqua to look...aqua, well, what I imagine the word "aqua" to be. Plus, I'm not big on treatments.

I'd love to see yours MZ!

 

[Pandora II]

Another greeny-blue aqua fan here.

The santa maria blues are just too blue for my taste.

Here's a nice one from palagems:

 

[Pandora II]

Try again...

My favourite shade would have just a touch more green.

 

[movie zombie]

Pan, i agree: more green!

my concept of aquamarine is just that: aqua....a warm water color, not the cold water blue that''s so popular.

movie zombie

 

[Pandora II]

Photoshop and voila.

This is my ideal colour...

 

[movie zombie]

much better! now if we could just do that with the actual stones!

movie zombie

 

[beaujolais]

Wow, the color on the last picture is perfect.

 

[Nocturnius]

Thank you all so much! I''ve only recently began to appreciate my birthstone; as I''ve gotten older, I''ve grown much fonder of the stone.

I''m glad that the color is more often a matter of preference than of quality! I saw some aquamarines and felt like they were too blue, more like light sapphires almost. This whole question was sparked by a bracelet I''ve been eyeing, actually. The stones are a light blue, but when turned in certain directions they have a green tint. The cut and clarity are fantastic, but I''m very much a newbie to colored stones so I wasn''t sure if the grade of color was important like it is in diamonds.

Thank you again!

 

[movie zombie]

intensity of color...and cut....will definte a super stone whether greener or bluer.

we expect pictures if you make the purchase!

movie zombie

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 8/23/2008 7:36:40 PM
Author: movie zombie
much better! now if we could just do that with the actual stones!

movie zombie

Well, you know what? I've got a microwave and a toaster - maybe that will do it....

Or we could just paint them a bit!

 

[movie zombie]

LOL, Pan!

movie zombie

 

[marcy]

I agree the true aqua color with green in it is gorgeous. A good color aqua is certainly difficult to find but they are well worth the time it takes to find them.

 

[Fly Girl]

Date: 8/23/2008 5:20:13 PM
Author: Pandora II
Photoshop and voila.

This is my ideal colour...

This one from wildfishgems looks pretty darn close....

I agree about appreciating aquas more as I grow older. I finally purchased one this year, but I had been avoiding them for years. Mine is a natural greenish blue and it is gorgeous.

Looking forward to pictures of the bracelet.

 

[GemRite]

I took a photo of a few aqua stones that are in my personal mineral stash. These give you a few ideas of color. The lightest one is a perfectly terminated aqua, it has not been cut. It actually grew that way

There is a few colors that people call better than others. Usually a blue with a slight touch of green is best. Here is a spectrum of aqua colors. If a stone is really pale it of course is at the low scale. The darkest blue one in the photo is a desired color. The blue green one is a nice color, but those are usually heat treated, to remove the green. I usually lean towards what appeals to the eye, and that can vary from color and cut. Aquas are some nice stones.

 

[Sagebrush]

All,

let me attempt an answer though MZ answered the question very well. I believe she has become a poet.

In the trade, the aqua should be a pure blue with no green and as dark as possible. Problem is, aqua normally picks up a gray mask as it gets darker. The gray dulls the saturation and so I have a problem with the classical approach.

May I suggest a visually pure medium blue. Chances are you won''t see a stone much beyond 50% tone without gray. Beware of judging the body color instead of the key (color or the brilliance). Here is a fine pair that I recently sold.

 

[Sagebrush]

All,

let me attempt an answer though MZ answered the question very well. I believe she has become a poet.

In the trade, the aqua should be a pure blue with no green and as dark as possible. Problem is, aqua normally picks up a gray mask as it gets darker. The gray dulls the saturation and so I have a problem with the classical approach.

May I suggest a visually pure medium blue. Chances are you won''t see a stone much beyond 50% tone without gray. Fine aquamarine is extremely rare, much rarer than fine emerald. Beware of judging the body color instead of the key (color or the brilliance).

Here is a fine pair that I recently sold.

 

[Sagebrush]

All,

Opps, thought I deleted the ruby, guess the cancel button doesn''t work.

Please take particular note of the stone on the right that is the color of the pair. The hue is a visually pure blue, the tone 55-60% with no gray mask hence excellent saturation.

 

[GemRite]

Beautiful pair of aquamarines Richard, and also thanks for you input.