March

Named after the color of seawater, aquamarine is the blue to blue-green member of the beryl family. Readily available and moderately priced, the March birthstone makes an excellent jewelry stone.

The name “aquamarine” comes from the Latin for “seawater”, and the stones were thought to protect seafarers. Some associate aquamarines with marital happiness and superior intellect.

These stones can be found in both blue and blue/green hues. Aquamarine stones will always have light color saturation and tone so you will not see any dark blues or greens.

Also known as heliotrope, bloodstone is the traditional March birthstone. This dark green, opaque chalcedony with red to orange spots is a variety of plasma gemstone.

Bloodstones have developed a rich folklore throughout the centuries, particularly through sympathetic associations with blood. For example, the mineralogist and folklorist George F. Kunz relates how these gems have been considered particularly effective against hemorrhages.

Bloodstones have also come to symbolize bravery, perhaps through their associations with blood, vitality, and the Roman god Mars. Bloodstone is the traditional birthstone for March, the month named after this god of war.

Bloodstone’s body color is darker than fellow green chalcedonies such as chrysoprase and prase. Bloodstone’s opacity is caused by inclusions of actinolite or hornblende needles.

The red to orange spots distinguish bloodstones from plasma gemstones. The presence of iron oxides, such as hematite, cause these spots. However, some bloodstones may have few or no such spots.