aquamarine

/ak'weuh meuh reen", ah'kweuh-/, n.

1. a transparent, light-blue or greenish-blue variety of beryl, used as a gem.

2. light blue-green or greenish blue.

[1590-1600; < L aqua marina sea water (named from its color). See AQUA, MARINE]

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Pale greenish blue or bluish green variety of beryl that is valued as a gemstone.

The most common variety of gem beryl, it occurs in pegmatites, in which it forms much larger and clearer crystals than emerald, the dark green variety of beryl. Aquamarine occurs in Brazil, which is the chief source, and in such other sites as the Ural Mountains, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, India, and Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Colorado in the U.S. Heat treatment is commonly used to improve the colour of gem beryls.

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▪ gemstone

      pale greenish blue or bluish green variety of beryl (q.v.) that is valued as a gemstone. The most common variety of gem beryl, it occurs in pegmatite, in which it forms much larger and clearer crystals than emerald (one completely transparent crystal from Brazil weighed 110 kg [243 pounds]). It can also be found in mica schists. Aquamarine occurs in Brazil, which is the chief source; the Urals, Russia; Madagascar; Sri Lanka; India; and Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Colorado in the United States. Heat treatment is sometimes employed to improve the colour of gem beryls.

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