Monday, March 8, 2010

March Birthstones - Aquamarine, Bloodstone & Jade

March Birthstones - Aquamarine, Bloodstone, & Jade



The Traditional & Ayurvedic birthstone for March is Bloodstone. The mineral heliotrope, also known as bloodstone, is a form of chalcedony. The "classic" bloodstone is green chalcedony with red inclusions of iron oxide or red jasper. The red spots were once thought during the Middle Ages to be drops of Christ's blood, and that the stone held special powers.

Aquamarine (from Lat. aqua marina, "water of the sea") is the modern birthstone for March. It is a blue or turquoise variety of beryl. It occurs at most localities which yield ordinary beryl, some of the finest coming from Russia. It is 7.5–8 on MoHs Hardness scale.

The Mystical birthstone for March is Jade. The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals: Nephrite and Jadeite. Both were used from prehistoric periods for hardstone carving. Jadeite has about the same hardness as quartz, while nephrite is somewhat softer.

See more Aquamarine, Bloodstone & Jade here.

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