We’re so fortunate on Long Island to be surrounded by water, which I can’t help but think about when considering both of this month’s birthstones, aquamarine and blue topaz (we’ve adopted the latter stone for this month, because of its blue and tranquil similarity to aquamarine).

 Sea-colored blue gems are stunning when worn, and can beautifully highlight lighter colored eyes, while providing gorgeous contrast to darker hair and grey hair. There’s a reason they are a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II and the entire royal family. And who can forget the late Princess Diana’s gorgeous gemmy aquamarine ring, which her son Prince Harry gifted to his bride, Meghan, on their wedding day last year. You can get the same look in blue topaz very affordably from us.

Aquamarine’s name is derived from the Latin word aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. The color of aqua can range from greenish blue to blue, just like the sea. I saw a beautiful large aquamarine nestled in its original case at the gem shows in Tucson. It was displayed as part of the Smithsonian collection of donated gems and features more of the greenish tones.

In jewelry, we tend to see paler blue aquamarines, which are also lovely and delicate. fds

Blue topaz jewelry, on the other hand, can give you a wide range of shades from light to dark. They can also be combined with other blue stones like sapphire to create very pretty ombré effects, which are trending in jewelry fashion.

It won’t be long now until the sea warms and we’re all back on the beach. Let our colors of the sea gems take you there early.