Aquamarine - March Birthstone

Aquamarine's name says exactly what it looks like: aqua marina — water of the sea. Its colour ranges from a pale, icy blue to a rich blue-green depending on the stone, and there's a clarity and lightness to it that makes it one of the most immediately appealing gemstones in the calendar. It's also one of the most wearable — bright enough to be noticed, calm enough to suit almost any occasion.

What does aquamarine mean?

Aquamarine has been associated with the sea and with travellers for centuries. Ancient sailors carried it as a protective talisman, believing it would keep them safe on open water and ensure calm passages. Roman fishermen called it the sailor's stone. In medieval Europe it was believed to make its wearer courageous and protect them on long journeys.

Today its symbolism has settled around a consistent set of themes: calm, clarity, and honest communication. It's associated with clear thinking under pressure, the ability to express difficult things truthfully, and a kind of steady serenity that doesn't tip into passivity. These qualities align naturally with Pisces — deep, emotionally perceptive, often gifted with empathy — and with early Aries, where clarity of expression becomes a strength.

Why is aquamarine March's birthstone?

Aquamarine's connection to March comes through Pisces (19 February – 20 March), the last sign of the zodiac — intuitive, emotionally rich, and drawn to depth in all its forms. The stone's association with water, with calm, and with clear perception feels instinctively right for a sign defined by those same qualities. Early March also marks the transition from winter toward spring, and aquamarine's blue-green carries something of that liminal quality — neither fully one season nor the other.

The stone itself — what to know

Aquamarine is a variety of beryl — the same mineral family as emerald, though the two stones look nothing alike. Where emerald is rich, saturated, and opaque with inclusions, aquamarine is typically very clear, with few internal features, and a cooler, lighter character. The colour comes from traces of iron within the crystal structure.

The range of blues in aquamarine is worth understanding. Paler stones are more common; deeper, more saturated blues are rarer and more valuable. The finest aquamarines — known as Santa Maria after the Brazilian mine that originally produced them — show an intense, pure blue without green undertones. Most aquamarines available in jewellery today fall somewhere between pale sky blue and a medium blue-green, both of which are beautiful in their own way.

Heat treatment is standard and widely accepted in the aquamarine trade — it removes the yellow and green tones that can be present in rough stones, intensifying the blue. This doesn't affect durability or value and is considered a normal part of how the stone is prepared for jewellery use.

Aquamarine sits at 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale — hard enough for comfortable everyday wear in all jewellery formats, including rings. It's a genuinely practical stone alongside a beautiful one.

Brazil is the world's primary source, particularly the Minas Gerais region. Madagascar, Pakistan, and Nigeria also produce significant quantities, each with slightly different colour profiles.

Aquamarine and healing — what people believe

Aquamarine appears consistently in crystal traditions as a stone of the throat chakra — supporting clear, honest, and courageous communication. It's described as calming without being numbing: it brings a clarity of mind that makes it easier to think and speak under pressure. For anyone who finds honest conversation difficult, or who works in a field where clear communication matters, it's a particularly meaningful stone to carry.

It also appears frequently in recommendations for anxiety and overwhelm — its calming quality is one of the things people most consistently attribute to it.

For more on crystals worn for their energetic properties, see our guide to healing crystals to wear around your neck.

How to wear aquamarine jewellery

Aquamarine's blue-green works particularly well with silver and white gold, which complement its cool tones without competing. Yellow gold creates a warmer contrast that can be striking — particularly with deeper blue stones. Rose gold softens the overall look and suits the paler, more delicate end of the colour range.

The stone's clarity means it shows well in most settings — including simple solitaire designs where nothing distracts from the stone itself. As a necklace pendant it sits with quiet elegance; as earrings it frames the face with a cool, clean colour that suits virtually every skin tone. It's also one of the better choices for layering — its light, clear quality doesn't overwhelm other pieces.

Browse our aquamarine jewellery collection and the full March birthstone range, all handmade in our Chester studio.

Aquamarine as a gift

• March birthdays — the most personal occasion, particularly for Pisces who often have a natural affinity for the stone's qualities.
• 19th wedding anniversary — aquamarine is the traditional stone for this milestone. See our wedding anniversary stones guide for the full year-by-year reference.
• Someone going through a stressful period — the stone's calming associations make it a thoughtful gift without needing to be explained.
• A communication-focused gift — for teachers, writers, counsellors, or anyone for whom honest expression is central to what they do.

All orders arrive in our signature Abiza gift box, gift-ready with no extra wrapping needed. Handmade and quality-checked in our Chester studio before it reaches you.

Explore more birthstones

Aquamarine is one of twelve birthstones — each with its own history, meaning, and character. Our complete birthstone guide covers all twelve months, and our birthstone jewellery collection is made to order for every birth month of the year.