Beryl
Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the sea-blue beryl. It is usually clean and comes in large crystals, so big, clear stones are affordable compared with other blue gems.
Aquamarine
At a glance
- Mineral
- Beryl, blue from iron
- Refractive index
- 1.58
- Dispersion (C–F)
- 0.009
- Specific gravity
- 2.72
- Mohs hardness
- 7.5–8
- Wear
- Durable enough for rings; it is harder than quartz.
Aquamarine in Jart
The look in the studio's material library, with the values the renderer uses.
| Stone | Colour | RI | Dispersion C–F | Abbe | SG | Colour depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aquamarine | #6cd9ed | 1.58 | 0.009 | 65 | 2.72 | 7.7 mm |
RI refractive index (nd). Dispersion C–F nF − nC, the spread between blue and red light; many gem tables quote the B–G figure instead (diamond 0.044, here 0.025). Abbe number: lower means more fire. SG specific gravity, used for carat estimates in Design Facts. Colour depth the path through the stone after which white light takes the stone's full colour; shorter paths look paler.
How it renders
With a refractive index of 1.58, a polished aquamarine facet reflects 5.1% of light that meets it face-on (diamond: 17.2%). Light inside the stone that meets a facet more than 39.3° from straight on cannot leave and is reflected back in; the smaller that angle, the more light a good cut returns to the eye (diamond 24.4°, quartz 40.4°).
Its dispersion (C–F) is 0.009, 36% of diamond's, which sets how much fire, the flashes of colour, a render shows under small, bright lights.
Its colour is pale and needs a long path through the stone to show: small aquamarines look almost colourless, which is why the colour reads best in larger, deeper cuts.
- 1 mm
- 3 mm
- 6 mm
- 10 mm
Related stones
All gemstones · Metals · Aquamarine in white gold · Finishes
Render aquamarine on your own design.
Open a 3DM, STL or GLB file, or a sample ring, choose the stone and the metal, and render it photoreal in your browser. No account needed.