Aquamarine is the birthstone for March and the traditional gift for 19th wedding anniversaries.
Aquamarine’s name is derived from the Latin for sea water. Ancient seafarers believed that the beautiful blue stone came from the treasure chests of the mermaids. Ancient peoples believed that the water in which an aquamarine was soaked would cure eye troubles and stop hiccups (never been proven by modern medicine). In medieval times, it was believed to reawaken love between married couples. Soldiers through the ages have called Aquamarine the “Stone of Courage” and believe that it guards against injury and makes them invincible.
Aquamarine belongs to the Beryl family of gemstones. Emeralds and Morganite are also included in the Beryl family. Beryl is comprised of beryllium-aluminum-silicate. Iron is the trace element that creates the lovely blue color in Aquamarine while chromium creates the green in emeralds and manganese gives Morganite its pink color. The beryl family generally originates in granitic pegmatites and found in alluvial deposits. The largest gem quality specimen on record is a 243 pound crystal found in 1910 in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil.
Aquamarine & Sterling Silver Neckalce by Konstantino
Properties
Hardness: 7.5 – 8.0
Color – Greenish blue through blue-green
Stability
Very good
Rarities include cat’s-eye
Clarity – majority is eye-clean
Enhancements –
Majority is heat treated to remove yellow and green overtones and is undetectable
Aquamarines are found in Brazil, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Burma, China, Australia, the Ural Mountains of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the USA.
Care
Cleaning methods
Ultrasonic – usually safe
Steamer – usually safe
Warm soapy water – safe
79 Ct Aquamarine in custom mounting by Beauchamp Jewelers
79 Ct Aquamarine in Custom Mounting by Beauchamp Jewelers
Our annual Alex Sepkus trunk show is coming up and we hope to see you there. Our trunk show is a special showing of the entire collection of 18kt Gold and Platinum jewelry by internationally known Designer Alex Sepkus. This is a wonderful opportunity to view a unique array of designs in pendants, rings, earrings, bracelets, bridal rings, bands and men’s jewelry. Alex Sepkus is a unique talent whose work is characterized by such fine detail and craftsmanship. One can only fully appreciate each piece with magnification to reveal the depth and intricacy of each design.
Wednesday Evening March 10th 5:30pm till 9pm
Light Hors D’oeuvres and Refreshments
Door Prizes
We recently celebrated our second year in our new Albuquerque location and 58 years since our founding by Mac and Ione Beauchamp in 1951. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our valued customers. Thank you for your loyal patronage. Our annual anniversary party is one way we say Thank you. The party was a huge success, with our second show room decorated in an under the sea theme, there was good food, good fun, great friends, and of course, beautiful jewelry.
Topaz is the Birthstone for November and the 4th and 23rd wedding anniversary stone.
The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Legend says that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight. The Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make the wearer invisible. Topaz was also said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink and curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon. It was said to cure insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages. The name comes from the same island that Peridot originally came from – Topazios or Zabarad in the Red Sea. In Sanskrit, the word topas or tapax means fire. In medieval times nobility and ruling classes were given engraved topaz as a token of loyalty and friendship.
The name for Imperial Topaz originated in nineteenth century Russian because the Ural Mountains were the leading source. Ownership of the gem was restricted to the royal family.
Today most people think of blue when they think of topaz and yellow topaz is often mistaken for the common citrine or smoky quartz.
Topaz is the state gemstone of Texas and Utah.
Source
The Ouro Preto area of Brazil is the major commercial source of imperial and red topaz. The Ghundao Hill area of Pakistan produces a naturally pink to red topaz sometimes called “cyclamen pink”. Brazil and Sri Lanka are the most significant sources of treatable colorless topaz. Topaz comes from Australia, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria and the USA as well. The primary source of gem-quality topaz are pegmatites. Because it grows in an orthorhombic crystal structure (crystals are typically elongated with strong parallel grooves or striations, parallel to their length) it has weaker bonds between the atoms in one direction which causes cleavage. A sharp blow or extreme pressure or sharp temperature changes might cause it to split along the cleavage plane.
Properties
Toughness – poor due to cleavage
Stability
Reaction to Heat – might cause fading.
Reaction to Light – might cause fading.
Reaction to Chemicals – not resistant to sulphuric acid.
Care during polishing and setting because of danger of cleavage
Rarities include Red, Pink and Imperial or Precious Topaz
Most popular cuts are emerald or step cut, scissor cut, cabochon and brilliant cut particularly for colorless Topaz.
Confused with Apatite, aquamarine, brazilianite, chrysoberyl, citrine, danburite, diamond, fluorite, kunzite, orthoclase, phenakite, ruby, sapphire, spinel, tourmaline, zircon and precious beryl. Blue synethetic topaz is known. Yellow heat-treated amethyst are falsely called “gold topaz” or “Madeira topaz” so real topaz is sometimes called precious topaz to distinguish them.
Enhancements –
Blue Topaz – depending on type of treatment and starting material, it comes in many shades of blue.
London Blue
Swiss Blue
Super blue
Maxi Blue
Sky Blue
Blue starts usually as colorless and treated with gamma rays or high-energy electron radiation. This is permanent. The stones must be quarantined from three months to a year to allow radiation to dissipate.
Heat treatment is usually used on yellow to create pink and red hues. This is also permanent.
Surface Diffusion – stones are heated in cobalt-rich powder which produces color about 0.5mm deep at the surface.
Coating – coating colorless topaz with microscopic layer of metallic oxide compound by heating the stone in a vacuum-sealed container with metal oxides to form a vapor coating. This causes an optical effect of visible spectral hues. The coating is not durable but can resist daily wear but abrasive cleaners and buffing wheels remove it. It is safe in ultrasonic, alcohol and mild soap.
Arabic legend says opal fall from the heavens in flashes of lightening. The Greeks believed opals gave their owners the gift of prophecy and guarded them from disease. The Romans thought opal symbolized love and hope. The Romans gave its name – opalus – that meant precious stone. Europeans have long considered the gem a symbol of hope, purity, and truth. Australian aborigines have a legend that the creator came down to Earth on a rainbow to bring the message of peace. At the spot his foot touched the ground, the stones became alive and sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow. The superstition that it is unlucky for anyone born in any month other than October to wear an opal came from the novel “Anne of Geierstein” by Sir Walter Scott written in the 1800’s. Opal has actually been considered to be the luckiest and most magical of all gems because it can show all colors. It was even thought to have the power to preserve life and be color of blond hair. For ages, people have believed in the healing power of opal and it is reported to cure depression and help its wearer find the true and real love. They are believed to enhance the positive characteristic of people born under the zodiac sign of Cancer. Black opal is recommended for those born under Scorpio and Boulder Opal is a lucky stone for Aries. Opals became prevalent in jewelry during the Art Deco period.
It is thought that opal formed 15 to 30 million years ago with one exception in Australia where at Mintabie it is thought to have formed about 400 million years ago. It is formed in desert areas that have strong seasonal rainfall and rocks rich in silica. The water seeping through the rock carries silica that is evaporated out in pockets of rock. However opal still contains a significant amount of water usually about 3 to 10% and can be as high as 20%.
In 1849 the first opal blocks were accidentally found on the Australian cattle station of Tarravilla. Prospecting started in 1890 at White Cliff in Australia. Other famous opal areas of Australia are Lighting Ridge, Andamooka and Coober Peddy (aborigine word for “white man in hole”). The largest opal found is 6,843 kilogram known as the Andamooka Desert Flame.
Australia produces black and white opal. Brazil produces white opal. Mexico produces Fire Opal. Peru produces Peruvian opal. Ethiopia and Malawi produces white opal.
Properties
Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5
Toughness – very poor to fair.
Reaction to Heat – High heat or sudden temperature change can cause fracturing.
Reaction to Light – Stable but heat from intense light can cause fracturing (known as crazing)
Reaction to Chemicals – Attacked by hydrofluoric acid and caustic alkalis
Loss of moisture and crazing can result from storage in airtight containers such as safe deposit boxes
Clarity – Fractures, pits, surface blemishes, matrix, crazing (a fine network of cracks that resembles spider’s web).
Most popular cut is cabochon. The Mexican opal is often faceted as well.
Confused with Ammolite, mother-of-pearl, labradorite, moonstone. Imitations include opal doublet or triplets and synthetic opal (Gilson) and simulated opal made of glass (Slocum) and a Japanese plastic opal.
Treatments/Enhancements –
Impregnation with oil, wax, or plastic – improves play-of-color and prevents or disguises fracturing. Black plastic creates appearance of black opal – stability is fair to poor for oil or wax and excellent for plastic.
Sugar treatment – soaking in dye, silver nitrate or sugar and acid – creates or improves play-of-color and simulates appearance of black opal. – stability is poor to good
Smoke impregnation – creates or improves play-of-color and simulates appearance of black opal – stability is fair to poor because treatment is shallow and abrades or chips away easily.
Fire Opal Earrings
Types of Opals
White Opal – translucent to semi-translucent with play-of-color against a white or gray bodycolor.
Black Opal – translucent to opaque with play-of-color against a black or other dark bodycolor
Fire Opal – transparent to translucent with brown, yellow, orange or red bodycolor. This material often doesn’t have play-of-color is also known as “Mexican opal”, “Gold opal”, or “Sun opal”.
Boulder Opal – Opal with dark base surface with play-of-color and occurs as pebble rock where the opal fills hollows.
Harlequin Opal – transparent to translucent opal with effective segment like color patterns.
Jelly Opal (Water Opal) – bluish-gray opal with little play-of-color.
Crystal Opal – a few red reflexes on colorless, vitreous surface.
Girasol – almost colorless, transparent opal with bluish luster
Peruvian Opal – a blue-green mostly opaque with very little play of color opal found in Peru.
Assembled Opal – precious opal layers and other material cemented together to improve durability and appearance.
Custom Boulder Opal Pendant
Play-of-Color
Play-of-color is caused by sub-microscopic spheres stacked in a grid-like pattern (like layers of ping-pong balls). This structure breaks up light into spectral colors. The colors depend on the size of the spheres. 0.1 micron in diameter produces violet. 0.2 micron in size produces red. In between sizes produce intermediate hues.
Pinfire or pinpoint – small, close-set patches of color.
Harlequin or mosaic – broad, angular, close-set patches of color.
Flame – sweeping reddish bands or streaks that shoot across the stone
The April edition of Town & Country Magazine features a beautiful Tourmaline ring by Alex Sepkus in their jewelry section.
Tourmalines . . . are found predominantly in Brazil and Africa. They come in a broad range of hues but are the most alluring — and springlike — in green.
Alex Sepkus uses 18K gold and Platinum in combination with the highest quality gemstones and exquisite textures to create beautiful, wearable, works of art like the ones shown here. For more information about Alex Sepkus visit bcjewelers.com or give us a call.
Just in time for Mother’s Day and Graduation, we have arranged for several international gem dealers to bring an extraordinary selection of colored gems to our store. We’ll have tanzanite, tourmaline, garnet, zircon (and many more) from exotic locales around the world. Choose something special at this unique event, where you can buy directly from the delaers!
Beauchamp Jewelers is located in Albuquerque, NM near the ABQ Uptown, Winrock & Coronado shopping centers. Here at Beauchamp Jewelers' Blog you can find out what's new at our store as well as educate yourself on topics related to jewelry and watches.
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7017 Menaul Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110
505 881 8939
