Aquamarine

Aquamarine is a variety of the mineral beryl, characterised by its blue-to-blue-green colour, reminiscent of seawater. Its colour is mainly due to iron impurities. Chemically, aquamarine is a beryllium aluminium silicate. It forms in granite pegmatites and, less commonly, in metamorphic rocks. Significant sources of aquamarine include Brazil, Madagascar, Russia, Pakistan, and the United States, particularly in Colorado and California.