The name Aquamarine comes from the Latin aqua marinus, meaning "water of the sea," and refers to its sparkling ocean-like color.
In 1910, the largest ever aquamarine was found in Brazil, weighing 243 pounds. It was then cut into smaller stones, yielding over 200,000 carats.
In the 19th century, sea green varieties of the stone were the most popular, but today, the more blue the color, the more valuable the stone.
The Romans believed that if the figure of a frog were carved on an aquamarine, it served to reconcile enemies and make them friends.
As a love crystal, pale blue Aquamarine encourages a lover to return, helps two people with different lifestyles to live together in harmony, and reduces the effects of sensitive issues that cause quarrels. Aquamarine is often given as a love token or eternity ring, and increases commitment and fidelity "as long as the waters of the earth flow."
In Medieval times, the stone was thought to reawaken the love of married couples. Stone absorbs the atmosphere of young love: “When blessed and worn, it joins in love, and does great things.”
Aquamarine was also considered the most appropriate morning gift to give to a bride by her groom following the consummation of their marriage.
The Greeks and the Romans knew the aquamarine as the sailor’s gem, ensuring the safe and prosperous passage across stormy seas. It protects all who travel by, over, or near water, and opens the channels of clear and heartfelt communication.
It was also believed to render soldiers invincible. According to folklore, aquamarine would bring victory in battles and legal disputes.
The Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrews also admired and valued aquamarine greatly. It was a symbol of happiness and everlasting youth.
William Langland’s “The Vision Concerning Piers and the Plowman,” from 1377, mentions the aquamarine as an antidote for poison. This antidote was widely known throughout Europe. Because there was a wide amount of poisonings amongst royalty at the time, the gem was in popular demand just for that purpose. It was not necessary to pulverize the stone, as it was/ is with other gemstones. Simply wearing the stone as a pendant or in a ring was just as effective.
Writers of the middle Ages claimed aquamarine was the most popular and effective of the “oracle” crystals. When cut as a crystal ball, it was thought to be a superior stone for fortune telling. Many methods of using the stone as a divining tool were described in ancient literature. One method involved hanging a stone by a thread over a bowl of water, just touching the surface. The inner edge of the bowl was covered with the characters of the alphabet. The diviner was to hold the top of the thread and allow the stone to hit certain letters, which would spell out answers to an important question, sort of like a ouija board. Another method was to cast a crystal into a bowl of pure water. The disturbances in the water would reveal messages on the surface of the liquid. Aquamarine’s powers of revelation were also said to help one in search for lost or hidden things.
The gem was also credited with curing belching and yawning and was considered especially effective for curing ailments of the jaws, throat, stomach, liver and toothaches.
Aquamarine was also used in ceremonies in the belief that it would bring rain when needed, or visit drought upon their enemies.
When worn as an amulet, it was believed to bring relief of pain and to make the wearer friendlier, quicken the intellect and cure laziness.
The ancient philosopher Pliny paid tribute to this gem of vitality, stating, “the lovely aquamarine, which seems to have come from some mermaid’s treasure house, in the depths of a summer sea, has charms not to be denied.”
Mystical Powers of Aquamarine
In Ancient, as well as Modern times, the aquamarine is said to have countless positive effects on the wearer.
The attributes of aquamarine were first recorded by Damigeron in the second century BC. “This stone is good besides for damage to the eyes, and for all sickness, if it is put in water and given as a drink.” Pliny the Elder’s Natural History also lists the stone as an excellent cure for eye diseases. The eye was supposed to be washed in water in which an aquamarine was immersed. To cure serious eye ailments, it was recommended to place the powder of the gem in the eyes each morning. Modern healers also believe the stone will help deal with glandular disorders, as well as aiding in maintaining the health of your eyes, as the Ancient healers believed.
Associated with the Throat chakra, Aquamarine helps overcome the fear of speaking, and is an excellent stone for teachers and presenters of all types. It relaxes speakers to a stage of consciousness in which they are fully aware of their own truths, wisdom and feelings, and able to articulate them with clarity and conviction. It also allows one to speak clearly and without anger in difficult situations.
Some consider the stone specific for treating most afflictions associated with the oral cavity. It is associated with the throat charka, including the faculties of speech and singing, a quality perhaps associated with the therapeutic value of the color, rather than of the actual composition of the stone.
There are also many beliefs that regard aquamarine as a healing stone for mental afflictions as well as physical. The stone is considered an “all purpose” healing stone as it treats spiritual and psychological disturbances as well as physiological disorders and disease.
Aquamarine is used in conjunction with the Hanged Man card of the Tarot, helping people understand the value of suspending activities in life in order to seek solitude and time for contemplation.
It helps one be better in communion with an inner tranquility, and is known for its ability to calm nervous tension as it is calming and soothing.
Aquamarine is a wonderful stone for meditation as it quiets the mind and facilitates obtaining communication from higher planes. Clearing extra thoughts, it invokes a high state of consciousness and spiritual awareness, and encourages dispassionate service to humanity. If the spiritual and physical bodies have become misaligned, aquamarine gently realigns them, releasing intuitive communication on all levels.
Present day supporters of crystal-gazing suggest that when using an Aquamarine to view coming events, do so when the moon is increasing. The magnetism of the moon on the included iron oxides will strengthen the stone's forecasting ability.
Working with the stone improves one’s overall sense of well-being. Some suggest that aquamarine is used to treat people for whom procrastination is an affliction. It is believed that one who wears aquamarine has a better ability to think clearly and make quick decisions. In addition, it increases one’s access to courage. It promotes motivation and comforts in times of intense physical and emotional release, while supporting one through the process. The stone aids a life of service, shields and protects, reminds us of love and caring through times of change and in one’s life and path and purpose. It aids in promoting spiritual and psychic awareness, brings about core soul repair and healing, aids soul retrieval, and heals deeply at all levels. It is used spiritually to bring purification to one’s entire being, as it allows the inner self to better pursue one’s Highest Ideals, keeping attachments to the mundane world in perspective. In addition to its remedial values, it is an excellent stone with which to make changes in your life, holding more true to your inner, spiritual self, and helping yourself remain calm and purified of your own self-polluting behavioral patterns.