Aquamarine is a variety of beryl that has been well-known since antiquity, when Pliny the Elder described as representing the greenness of the pure sea.

We know for certain that the gem was widely used by the ancient Romans.

The mineral, which crystallizes into long hexagonal prisms, is typically vitreous and shiny with inclusions that resemble tiny liquid-filled tubes.

The finest aquamarines come from Brazil, Pakistan and Madagascar, while Africa (Mozambique, Tanzania, Namibia and Kenya) produces very intense, dark-coloured stones of extraordinary transparency.