The Aquamarine
Laid Bare

What Is the March Birthstone?

The birthstone for March is aquamarine — a blue to blue-green variety of the mineral beryl, the same family that includes emerald. The name comes from the Latin aqua (water) and marina (of the sea), and for over two thousand years, aquamarine has been the gem most deeply associated with the ocean, sailors, and safe passage across open water.

Aquamarine's color ranges from pale sky blue to deep oceanic tones, produced by iron impurities (Fe²⁺) within the beryl crystal structure. It ranks 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs hardness scale — as hard as its famous cousin emerald — making it exceptionally durable for everyday jewelry. Unlike emerald, which is prized for its inclusions, aquamarine is typically eye-clean: transparent, brilliant, and as clear as the water it's named for.

March actually has two birthstones: aquamarine (modern) and bloodstone (traditional) — a dark-green jasper flecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide. While bloodstone carries its own rich history of symbolism around health and strength, aquamarine has become the dominant March birthstone in modern jewelry. The modern birthstone list, standardized in 1912, designated aquamarine as the primary March birthstone.

March Birthstone Meaning & Symbolism

The Sailor's Gem: Calm Seas and Safe Passage

Aquamarine's most ancient and enduring association is with the sea and those who cross it. Greek and Roman sailors carried aquamarine amulets — often engraved with the image of Poseidon on a chariot — believing the gem was carved from the treasure chests of mermaids and blessed by Neptune himself. Mariners trusted that aquamarine could calm storms, prevent drowning, and ensure safe return to shore.

Romans believed that Neptune acquired the first aquamarines when they fell from a siren's jewel box and washed ashore. A sailor would sometimes toss his aquamarine into rough seas as an offering to calm an angry Neptune. During World War II, U.S. naval personnel continued the tradition, carrying aquamarine as a good-luck talisman. At TrueSanity, a gem associated with clarity through turbulence and courage under pressure belongs in a house built on radical transparency.

Clarity, Purification, and the Antidote to Poison

In the Middle Ages, aquamarine's reputation shifted from sailor's talisman to purifying agent. It was widely believed to remove impurities from drinking water when submerged, making it especially valued at royal courts where poisoning was a genuine occupational hazard. The Crown of St. Wenceslas (1346), one of the Bohemian Crown Jewels, features aquamarine alongside diamonds and emeralds. Legend holds that only the rightful Bohemian king may wear it during coronation — usurpers are fated to die within a year.

Love, Marriage, and the Stone of Aphrodite

In Greek mythology, Aphrodite — goddess of love — was born from the sea foam, and her throne was said to be "inlaid with beryls and aquamarines." The ancient Romans believed aquamarine could absorb the energy of young love and reflect that passion back. In India, gifting aquamarine jewelry to new brides became a custom symbolizing hope, fidelity, and a marriage as clear and deep as the ocean.

The 19th Wedding Anniversary Stone

Aquamarine is the traditional gemstone for the 19th wedding anniversary. It also makes a meaningful gift for March birthdays, new beginnings, and anyone navigating a season that demands clarity, calm, and the courage to keep moving forward.

The History of the March Birthstone

Aquamarine beads have been found in Egyptian tombs dating to approximately 500 BCE, where they served as both decorative jewelry and spiritual talismans for safe passage into the afterlife. The Hebrews revered aquamarine as one of the stones on the breastplate of the High Priests, and the Sumerians considered it a sacred stone of divine favor.

The ancient Greeks first documented aquamarine's use between 480–300 BCE, wearing talismans engraved with Poseidon on a chariot. Emperor Nero reportedly used thin slices of aquamarine to correct his poor vision — an early form of spectacles. This practice was so well-known that the German word for eyeglasses, Brille, derives from beryl.

Among the most famous aquamarines in the world: in 1936, the government of Brazil gifted First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt a 1,298-carat aquamarine — the largest cut stone of its kind at the time, now housed at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. The Dom Pedro aquamarine, weighing 10,363 carats (approximately 4.6 pounds), is the largest faceted aquamarine in the world, cut by legendary German gem artist Bernd Munsteiner and displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

The largest gem-quality aquamarine crystal ever found was unearthed in Marambia, Brazil, weighing nearly 244 pounds and measuring 19 inches long. The famous Martha Rocha aquamarine, also from Brazil, weighed 134 pounds and yielded over 300,000 carats of gem-quality blue stones.

March Birthstone Color

Aquamarine's color ranges from pale, nearly colorless blue to deep, saturated oceanic tones. The blue comes from ferrous iron (Fe²⁺) within the beryl crystal lattice, with deeper blues produced by higher iron concentration. The most valued color grade is known as "Santa Maria" — a medium-dark, highly saturated pure blue named after the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

A similar deep blue from Mozambique is traded as "Santa Maria Africana", while lighter Brazilian material is sometimes labeled "Espirito Santo." Color names in the aquamarine trade refer to color quality, not necessarily geographic origin — so always ask for documentation if provenance matters to you.

Most commercial aquamarine undergoes heat treatment to remove greenish or yellowish tints and produce a purer blue. This treatment is stable, permanent, and universally accepted in the industry. Deeper colors are rarer and more valuable, especially in larger stones — small aquamarines with intense saturation are uncommon.