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CHAPTER VI.
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AQUAMARINE, OR BERYL.
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QUAMARINE is a name given to the varieties „ of Beryl which possess a pale green colour suggestive of sea-water, whence the name aqua marina. In fact; the Beryl, the Aquamarine, and the Emerald—though differing much in value as gem-stones— are all united by mineralogists under the head of a single species, inasmuch as they are found to agree in crystallo-graphic and chemical characters, while they differ mainly in colour. The pale green of the Aquamarine is probably due to the presence of a small proportion of oxide of iron, whereas the rich green of the Emerald appears referable to oxide of chromium
Aquamarine comes to us from Brazil ; and it is also found in the Ural Mountains, the Altai Mountains, in Siberia, Australia, and other parts of the world.
Aquamarine is made into a variety of ornaments. It is said that the Emperor Commodus possessed an Aquamarine engraved with a portrait of Hercules by Hyllus ; and that in the treasures of Odescalchi, there was a stone engraved by Quintilius. representing Neptune, drawn by sea-horses, In the National Library in Paris there is a beautiful engraving by Evodus, on Aquamarine, of the head of Julia, the daughter of Titus. An Aquamarine, 2-1/16 inches long and 2-1/2 in thickness, adorned the tiara of Pope Julius II.
One of the finest known specimens of Aquamarine is the remarkable sword-hilt which was in the collection of
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