How can you identify aquamarine

The heat treatment results in permanent change of color. Since the color and transparency decide the value of aquamarines, these gemstones range in prices as well. Blue topaz, either glass or synthetic is promoted as aquamarine.

Hence, it becomes necessary to know how to identify the right aquamarine gemstones so that you are not fooled into buying glass in place of gemstones. Here are some suggestions to help you with making the right identification. Hence, look out for scratches on the surface. Aquamarine gemstones are hard and they are not easily scratched.

Glass, as you know, is easily scratched. Hence, look from various angles and if you see different colors displayed, you have aquamarine on your hand. Since, aquamarine is cool, you will feel cool when it comes in contact with your forehead.

Glass, on the other hand, feels like room temperature. Blue topaz is refractive and hence you could find stronger refraction lines unlike in aquamarine, which is weakly refracted. Look into the gemstone to find out if there are doubling of lines.

If you could spot the lines easily, then it could be topaz. If not, it is aquamarine. It is also the birthstone for March. Real aquamarine stones typically have a good hardness and a brilliant shine. This hardness protects aquamarine gems from being scratched. Aquamarine gets its color from iron and the most valuable examples have the most intense color. When shopping for aquamarine, be aware that some merchants try to pass glass off as the real deal. Luckily, a few tricks exist that can help you authenticate your aquamarine stone.

Examine the surface of the gem for scratches. Aquamarine has a reputation for its hardness and does not scratch easily. If you notice scratches, it is likely glass. Thus the spectrum of authenticity is very small as far as gems heat treatment range is concerned. Is an aquamarine only blue in colour? Aquamarines fall in the category of clear blue and clear green beryl family.

The coloured Aquamarine and Chrysoberyl resemble very closely to each other. The colourless variety is called Goshenite, but is now tagged as colourless beryl.

Specific Gravity is higher than other stones: Aquamarines are heavier than other gems. The stones extracted from Latin American mines have a specific gravity ranging between 2. The ones mined from Asia and African mines have higher density due to greater presence of alkali ions. Gems are immersed in liquids with higher density and the results are noted.

Whether the gemstone floats or sinks into the liquid decides the authenticity of Aquamarine. Refractive indices: Aquamarines beads have a refractive index ranging between 1. It exhibits a brilliant and unhindered impression when exposed to white light. The originality of the stone is established by placing it under Refractometer. Here are different optical phenomena observed in the real Aquamarine.

Aquamarines can exhibit colour dichroism owing to the presence of more than one colouring ions like chromium, iron and copper.