Boucheron's latest high-pearl collection is inspired by the aquamarine brooch made for Elizabeth II, and reinterprets the charm of aquamarine, the birthstone of March. Yes, this sea hue has always been a favorite of jewelry circles, especially aquamarine called "Santa Maria Blue", which has been a collector's favorite treasure in recent years.
Santa Maria Natural Aquamarine Ring 61.95 Carat with SSEF Certificate: Untreated 'Santa Maria type aquamarine' realized price: HK$475,000
"Santa Maria" in aquamarine is now very popular, along with "Jedi" in spinel and "pigeon's blood" in ruby. It is a business name and does not have a specific grading standard, but many gem professional identification agencies such as GRS, Guild, and SSEF now label "Santa Maria" on the certificate.
Santa Maria Aquamarine Guild Certificate
Santa Maria Aquamarine GRS Certificate
The Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS) also introduced the "Santa Maria" label and grading report color codes in 2022, which are defined by hue, saturation and hue, and clarity of a color, but not by geographic origin.
Asian Gemological Science Institute (AIGS)
The name "Santa Maria" aquamarine comes from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Brazil, where this moderately saturated blue color is produced and does not contain any brown or yellow tones of high-clarity aquamarine. But the mine has collapsed and closed, and it is now very difficult to find Santa Maria aquamarines originating from the Santa Maria de Itabira mine, and it is estimated that you can only try your luck at auction houses or antique shops.
But "Santa Maria" aquamarine can still be found in other sources, Mozambique in Africa is the second largest aquamarine producer after Brazil, the Hyland gemstone here is named "Santa Maria Afriana of Africa", but the production here is also decreasing year by year. Today's "big household" is Madagascar, and the Ulissa region of India occasionally has aquamarines that meet the standard of Santa Maria blue.
In fact, aquamarine has a rich blue hue, which has different popularity at different times, such as the Art Nouveau period in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and the sea green aquamarine, which is the favorite of jewelry masters such as René Lalique . And "Santa Maria Blue" is actually popular from the Art Deco period, this bright and clear sky blue is especially suitable for the emerald type cut that was popular at the time, and the high-clarity gemstone can carry its "Hall of Mirrors" effect.
Cartier Art Deco style necklace circa 1940 Aquamarine total weight approx. 169.85 carats Price realised: £459,000 Bonhams London auction December 2019
The Brazilian government may also have played an active role in promoting these top aquamarines as "specialties" to dignitaries around the world. For example, the first lady of the United States at the time, Mrs. Roosevelt, such as Queen Elizabeth II, there is no doubt that these large carats, high clarity, high fire bright hue aquamarines attracted many fans.
Elizabeth II's aquamarine set that constantly "buys back"
Although there was no commercial name "Santa Maria Blue" at the time, Bazhu believed that the aquamarine given to Elizabeth II by the Brazilian government must be the best of them. The Queen is undoubtedly very fond of aquamarine, as it is one of the few jewelry she has repurchased and recustomized.
Elizabeth II wears an aquamarine suit
In 1953, on the occasion of her coronation, the Brazilian government presented her with an aquamarine necklace and matching earrings, and Brazilian jeweler Mappin & Webb is said to have spent an entire year searching for a matching aquamarine, after all, such quality and size is not an easy task even in aquamarine's largest source.
Aquamarine necklace by Elizabeth II
But how can the queen not have a crown? In 1957, she again ordered Mappin & Webb to customize a matching tiara, but the Brazilian jeweler only completed the gem collection to the Queen's satisfaction, and Elizabeth II quickly gave their crown to the royal jeweler Garrard to redesign it even more magnificently.
The Queen's aquamarine crown
Then, in 1958, the Brazilian government apparently felt her true love for aquamarine, and presented the matching brooch and bracelet to finally put together the entire Parure. So this became her favorite suit, worn from young to old, and always in sets!
This is certainly not the Queen's first aquamarine jewelry, as it began to become popular during the Art Deco era, and the 18th birthday gift she received was the Boucheron Art Deco style aquamarine clips-style brooch given to her by her father, George VI, which is also her favorite and can still be seen in her daily outfits.
Boucheron aquamarine clips-style brooch
Inspired by this pair of aquamarine brooches, Boucheron designed the entire new collection, many of which feature colours in various colours, but still retain the classic aquamarine design, but have been cleverly transformed into a bracelet.
Boucheron Like a Queen collection aquamarine diamond bracelet
Princess Sophie, who loves aquamarine, borrowed it and bought it herself
Queen Elizabeth has obviously driven the entire royal family's love for aquamarine, and her little daughter-in-law, Princess Sophie (the only one who is not divorced), that is, the Countess of Wessex, also loves aquamarine, and one of the crowns she has long borrowed from the queen is a large size aquamarine crown set with 5 emerald-type cuts.
Princess Sophie wears an aquamarine crown
The Queen wore it once in 1970, probably because it was too small to compare to the Brazilian aquamarine set, so she never appeared again. Until Princess Sophie borrowed it, the elegant and restrained design just matched her low-key persona, so it became one of her usual crowns.
Princess Sophie wears an aquamarine crown
In 2005, Princess Sophie finally decided to buy a tiar, a dual-purpose jewel with a crown and necklace that transforms freely, and the center stone she chose was still a huge aquamarine, guarded by waves of diamonds in the C position. According to reports, this crown comes from G Collins & Sons, also a British royal jeweler, but it is relatively new and smaller, and many Jimei may not have heard of it~
Princess Sophie wears an aquamarine tiara/necklace
The brand was created in 1985 by owner Harry Collins, who named it after his deceased father, and in 2000 he was appointed "Her Majesty the Queen's Jeweller" to look after and maintain Elizabeth II's personal jewellery collection at Buckingham Palace, where he had his own studio. During his tenure he was also responsible for rebuilding the crown of Henry VIII. The original crown was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1649, and the replica crown is set with 344 rubies, sapphires and pearls and is permanently displayed at Hampton Court Palace.
It wasn't until 2007 that Harry Collins was named Crown Jeweller, but Princess Sophie loved the "young" brand and customized not only the aquamarine crown here, but also her aquamarine ring and aquamarine broooch.
Princess Sophie wears aquamarine brooches and rings
The Queen's other daughter-in-law, Princess Diana, is also a fan of aquamarine, best known as her aquamarine cocktail ring, which now reaches Meghan's hand. This ring was customized by Diana from Asprey after her separation from Charles in 1996, and apparently, she is reluctant to continue wearing a sapphire wedding band, but in order to match her charming blue eyes, it is undoubtedly a good choice to choose aquamarine with the freedom of the sea, especially if it can be made big and gorgeous.
Princess Diana's aquamarine cocktail ring
Experts estimate that the aquamarine weighs about 30 carats and is set in a yellow gold ring with 3 round diamonds on each side, probably choosing 24K gold as a setting to match her pearl aquamarine bracelet.
The matching 5-strand pearl bracelet is also set with a huge aquamarine, which is her favorite way to match, multiple strands of pearls plus a huge colored gemstone center stone, reminiscent of the multi-stranded pearl and sapphire Choker.
Princess Diana wears an aquamarine cocktail ring and pearl bracelet
Diana wore aquamarine jewelry as early as 1987, when she wore an ice blue dress to the Cannes Film Festival, and wore a pair of aquamarine earrings and an aquamarine diamond bracelet in a very seaside atmosphere, exuding a rare ease and freedom.
Diana wears aquamarine bracelets and earrings in 1987
After Diana's death, her jewelry collection was left to her two sons, but with the exception of Megan, who got an aquamarine cocktail ring, several pieces of jewelry have not been seen in public.
Diana wears aquamarine earrings
Is it the remaining jewelry that Megan can get? After all, she can match the ring, and many people think that her style is more suitable for Diana's modern aquamarine jewelry. Or can elegant Kate get? She is known for her love of morganite, amethyst, and pattorite, which are "semi-precious stones" with clear colors.
Seeing that many Jimei here may have moved their hearts about aquamarine and planted grass, then Sister Bazhu also put on some dry goods and did her homework for the girls who were ready to start~
Aquamarine Beginners:
Beginner players don't have to put the goal too far, don't accumulate steps to thousands of miles, we don't have to come up to Santa Maria blue, whether it is domestic commercial graded 3A, 4A, 5A color, or foreign commercial graded A, AAA, AAA color, is a cost-effective choice, but it should be noted that the smaller the aquamarine size, the less colorful, because their size will limit their ability to show dark blue.
In addition, because aquamarine is a Type1 gemstone, which means that most aquamarines are "flawless to the naked eye", so the clarity requirements can be increased, of course, there are some special inclusions of aquamarine will increase its "value", such as starlight or cat's eye effect is more rare.
Entry-level players can also give preference to the teardrop shape when choosing a cut, because this cutting method highlights the color very much, so that your less blue aquamarine can feel bluer~
Aquamarine, diamond Lace necklace
Aquamarine stalwarts:
If you've fallen into aquamarine's pit, then probably after the best Santa Maria blue, then large carats, emerald-type cuts are the best choices to showcase its perfect quality. It is important to note that most aquamarines undergo low-temperature heat treatment to eliminate aquamarine's usual yellow-green hue and give it a purer, more intense blue color, which is also an optimized technique widely accepted by the industry.
Tayma aquamarine ring
And the best Santa Maria Blue still depends on the certificate, and the test report of the authoritative institution is always the most reliable. Many certificates will also indicate whether it has been treated, and if you happen to encounter untreated natural aquamarine, you will earn! Of course, if you have a valuable appraisal certificate such as Gübelin and SSEF, it must basically be the best~
Although aquamarine is prone to large carats, the top Santa Maria blue rarely has such large carats, generally around 10 carats are rare. Therefore, when collecting players, it is recommended to chase the color first, and then consider the number of carats. Since the rich color and flawless clarity of Santa Maria blue are actually very suitable for step cutting, whether it is a classical emerald cut or an Ascher cut with better fire, you can easily "dazzle" your own value~
Aquamarine Veteran Players:
If you have advanced to the senior player, then blindly pursuing the grade of the gemstone itself is not much meaning, more to consider the design sense of aquamarine in jewelry. See how designers skillfully mix and match it with other gemstones to form a piece of jewelry with art collectible value.
Van Cleef & Arpels Seven Sea High Jewelry Lagune Précieuse necklace aquamarine, sapphire, diamond
Jewelry masters use aquamarine in a variety of ways, but most of them can balance various gemstones and best highlight the clarity and color of aquamarine, such as big players, who can get together rare high-quality aquamarines to win colorless accents, gold, silver and diamonds are the best choices.
Vania Lyla's Bow necklace aquamarine, diamonds
Just like the Exalting Dance necklace recently released by Piaget, with a white gold skeleton and a diamond base, the viewer's gaze will involuntarily fall on the lowest center stone - two pear-shaped cut aquamarines, weighing 21.43 and 6.46 carats respectively.
Piaget Exalting Dance necklace aquamarine, diamonds
Or like the aquamarine necklace created by Bulgari, who specializes in colored treasures, it carefully collects 19 aquamarines of the right color, size and shape, weighing a total of 119.16 carats, to show the gentle meandering of mountain streams. They used Calibre-cut sapphires, pink sapphires and purple sapphires to outline the "flow of water" and diamonds to create water droplets splashed against mountain stones.
Bulgari Aquamarine, sapphire, diamond necklace
When it comes to highlighting aquamarine, Tiffany's Jean Schlumberger excels best, with his signature gold lines and naturalistic motifs bringing aquamarine to life in colorless materials.
Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Schlumberger Bird brooch on stone Aquamarine, diamonds
Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany flower bracelet aquamarine, diamonds
Coomi, who is completely reversed with modernist geometry, created a geometric rectangle from brighter 20K gold, carrying 127 carats of aquamarine, and set it with opals to create a clash of transparent and translucent textures.
Coomi necklace 20K yellow gold, aquamarine, opal
Other jewelry designers take the adjacent color route, using deep and light blue tones to contrast each other, and different materials contrast to make aquamarine bluer and clearer. Harry Winston's Shades of Blue collection, as its name suggests, embellishes emerald-cut aquamarines with small dark sapphires, surrounded by diamonds of this shape, perfectly accentuating the blue hue of the gemstone.
Harry Winston Shades of Blue necklaces, earrings aquamarine, sapphire, diamonds
Brigitte Ermel took this to the extreme, using sapphire to wrap around the 14.38 ct pear-shaped aquamarine as if to hook it, which will undoubtedly give the aquamarine a deeper blue color.
Brigitte Ermel rings Aquamarine, sapphire
Of course, creative designers always like to go off the beaten path, and there are many people who win with contrast, and the collision of cold-colored gemstones and warm-colored gemstones will make the cold colder and the warm warmer. Tasaki's recently released Ore earrings, for example, feature a curved-cut pink coral and an oval-cut aquamarine, accented with Akoya pearls and diamonds. Soft and cute macaron tones, opaque and transparent, angular and rounded contrast, make it eye-catching.
Tasaki Ore white gold earrings
Even more colorful are the chandelier earrings designed by Thomas Jirgens, which are completely a rainbow jewelry. A variety of pink and blue tones of gemstones are set together, with golden beryl, aquamarine, morganite, sapphire and Paraiba tourmaline forming a soft and romantic atmosphere.
Thomas Jirgens earrings aquamarine, golden beryl, morganite, sapphire, Paraiba tourmaline
Piaget's Limelight Blue Lagoon cocktail ring is even more enthusiastic, with a cushion-cut aquamarine set with a red fruit created by fire opals, creating a strong red and blue contrast that creates a visual stimulus.
Piaget Limelight Blue Lagoon cocktail ring Aquamarine, fire opal, diamond
How, did you find your way to start the "Aquamarine Collection Tour"? Hopefully, this beautiful March birthstone can enter your jewelry box and bring you freedom, relaxation and unlimited inspiration~
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