Aquamarine Gemstone Beads

Frequently asked questions

• Is your aquamarine natural or heat-treated?

  The vast majority of aquamarine on the global market is heat-treated to convert greenish rough to pure blue. The treatment is permanent, stable, and industry-universal. Heated strands should be labeled; untreated strands carry their own label when source material is known. Ask before buying if the page doesn't specify treatment.
• Is heat-treated aquamarine still real aquamarine?

  Yes. Heat treatment changes the color of the rough but doesn't change what the stone is — it's still beryl. The treatment is the global industry default and has been since the early 20th century. Disclosure is the trade standard; treatment should be disclosed — ask if a strand doesn't specify.
• What does "Santa Maria color" mean?

  It's the trade's name for the deepest, purest, most saturated blue tier on the aquamarine color scale — originally describing material from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil. That mine is essentially exhausted; today, "Santa Maria color" is applied to any aquamarine that meets the same color benchmark, regardless of origin. Most current Santa Maria-color material is from Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, or Pakistan.
• What's the difference between aquamarine and blue topaz?

  They're different stones. Aquamarine is beryl (Mohs 7.5–8), with a softer, sometimes slightly greenish blue. Blue topaz is topaz (Mohs 8), almost always irradiated and heated colorless topaz, with a more saturated and often brighter blue. Blue topaz is significantly more abundant in supply than aquamarine. The two are not interchangeable, and "blue topaz" sold as aquamarine (or vice versa) is a labeling problem — mineral identity should be disclosed, so confirm if a listing doesn't specify.
• Why is aquamarine usually faceted instead of smooth?

  Aquamarine's value comes from clarity and color, both of which are amplified by faceting. Smooth-polished aquamarine is uncommon at trade scale — the stone reads dull compared to faceted material of the same grade. Most bead-format aquamarine is microfaceted (small precision facets at 2.5–4mm) or faceted rondelle / round.