Buying Tips to Follow When Shopping for Estate Aquamarine Rings
The blue-to-green aquamarine stone is a beautiful center stone found on many estate rings. Many people choose to give an estate aquamarine ring to a person born in March because it is their birthstone. Others choose to get an estate aquamarine stone for themselves or someone they love as a fashion accessory or gift.
What colors do aquamarine stones come in?The most valuable aquamarine stones are dark blue in color. Still, you will find estate aquamarine rings with bluish-green stones. It is very difficult to find dark blue aquamarine stones weighing less than five carats. Opacity is another factor to consider; some aquamarines are nearly as transparent as glass, while others are as opaque as a gemstone and take on a milky hue.
What shapes of aquamarine gemstones are there?There are several different shapes of aquamarine gemstones you can choose from on eBay. A few of these include:
- Cat's eye
- Star
- Oval
- Square
- Pear
- Emerald
- Marquise
- Trillion
You can find many different styles of aquamarine stones, including:
- Georgian - The aquamarine stones on these rings often are backed by foil. Each piece is usually made by hand and based around the individual stone. These rings can be quite rare, as old jewelry was often destroyed to make new pieces.
- Victorian - Many early period rings have flowers and bow motifs on their sides or surrounding the aquamarine stone. Many pieces were made with platinum placed over gold. Later in this period, rings often were made of silver. Many rings were mass produced as well.
- Art Nouveau - Many of these pieces have a feminine appearance with flowing symmetry, circular filigree, and motifs from nature.
- Edwardian - Platinum started being used on its own during this period, allowing jewelers to create pieces with lighter settings. Nature motifs were very common, as were aquamarine stones surrounded by garlands of wire flowers.
- Art Deco - Platinum and white gold aquamarine Art Deco rings with symmetrical, sometimes geometrical designs are often seen from this period.
- Retro - Many pieces of jewelry featured large aquamarine stones during this period. Rose and white gold started to be combined to make interesting bands.