Aquamarine

Aquamarine is a variety of the mineral beryl which has the chemical composition Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆ . The pale green to blue aquamarine is one of the gem varieties of beryl.

These samples are displayed in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. The long dimension of the specimen above is perhaps 30 cm.

The aquamarine sample at left is 40-50cm high! It has a mass of 3.4 kilograms. It is from Minas Gerais, Brazil. The large gem cut of aquamarine below is 1000 carats. It is about 12 cm across.