March Birthstone & The Aquamarine Birthstone Meaning

If you're born in March, your birthstone is aquamarine. It has held onto that spot for a long time, and the reasons go a little deeper than the calendar.

Picture the color first: a pale, watery blue-green, the kind of shade you'd see looking down into shallow water on a clear day. That ocean association isn't a coincidence — it's the whole reason the stone is named what it is.

Historically, aquamarine has been linked to serenity, protection, and clarity — qualities that, for centuries, sailors needed rather badly before setting out to sea. There's a second March birthstone too: bloodstone, a dark green stone flecked with red, which couldn't look more different.

What's probably done the most for aquamarine's popularity, though, is how naturally it lends itself to gifting. A birth-month connection, a color that suits almost anyone, and a stone durable enough for daily wear — that combination shows up again and again in March gemstone necklaces, rings, and personalized pieces given for birthdays, new babies, and anniversaries alike.

What Is The March Birthstone?

Aquamarine is the primary birthstone for March, and bloodstone sits alongside it as the traditional alternative — older, but still on some lists, though far less common in jewelry today.

Birthstones as a concept go back a long way, with roots in religious and astrological texts that predate any kind of formal list. The version most jewelers use now was standardized by the National Association of Jewelers in 1912, but aquamarine's connection to March is considerably older than that. The name itself is about as literal as gemstone names get: aquamarine comes from the Latin "aqua marina", meaning "water of the sea."

Older European and Arabic birthstone traditions sometimes listed bloodstone or jasper for March instead. Aquamarine's rise to the top spot happened gradually, partly for its color, partly its relative abundance compared to some alternatives. By the time modern lists were formalized, aquamarine was the obvious choice. It looked like March. It still does.

Aquamarine Birthstone Meaning & Symbolism

Aquamarine's meaning is, appropriately, calm. Most of its symbolism circles back to that single idea — clarity, serenity, steadiness — though it takes slightly different shapes depending on who you ask and when in history you're asking.

The most enduring association is with sailors and safe travel. Sailors carried aquamarine as a kind of talisman, believing it could calm rough waters and protect against the dangers of a long voyage. Some legends go further, claiming the stone came from the treasure chests of mermaids, washed ashore to bring luck to whoever found it.

Beyond travel, aquamarine has historically been linked to courage and communication: the idea that real clarity helps you say what you mean, rather than what's easiest in the moment. Harmony and emotional balance come up often too, especially in more modern, wellness-leaning interpretations of the stone.

Spiritually, aquamarine is often connected to the throat chakra — communication, again — and to a gentle, protective kind of energy.

What Color Is The March Birthstone?

Most people picture aquamarine as a very pale, icy blue — almost colorless in low light, with just enough tint to read as water rather than glass. That's accurate for a lot of stones on the market, and it's part of why aquamarine pairs so well with yellow gold; the warmth of the metal sets off the coolness of the stone.

But the stone actually ranges from very light blue through green-blue tones into deeper, more saturated ocean blues. The most prized aquamarines — sometimes called "Santa Maria" aquamarine, after the Brazilian mine where the deepest tones were first found — have a richer blue that can read almost teal under certain light.

Clarity matters a lot here, too. Aquamarine tends to form with naturally clean crystals, so even commercially available stones are usually eye-clean, meaning no inclusions visible to the naked eye. That clarity is a big part of where the glow comes from.

Bloodstone, for comparison, looks nothing like this. It's a dark, opaque green (almost black in some lights), speckled with flecks of red jasper that look, fairly literally, like drops of blood. Between the two March birthstones, the contrast is about as stark as it gets.

The History Of Aquamarine

Aquamarine's history runs deep, and in a few cases, some of the earliest known aquamarines were recovered from ancient shipwrecks and burial sites.

The Romans and Greeks were both drawn to the stone's color and its obvious connection to the sea. Roman sailors carried aquamarine for protection, and a belief persisted for centuries that the stone could calm storms and guarantee a safe voyage. Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century AD, noted aquamarine's resemblance to seawater — which tells you the "water of the sea" association isn't a modern invention. It's nearly two thousand years old, and it hasn't really changed since.

Medieval Europe carried the symbolism forward, and the focus shifted toward healing. Physicians and scholars of the period associated aquamarine with treating ailments of the eyes, throat, and stomach.

Royal jewelry collections favored aquamarine for centuries, particularly large, clean stones suited to elaborate settings — the kind of pieces where size and clarity could really be shown off.

Brazil became, and remains, the dominant source for fine aquamarine, starting in the colonial period when Portuguese traders began moving large quantities of the stone to European markets. That trade route is really why aquamarine became as widely available and as affordable as it is relative to other colored gemstones. It went from regional curiosity to global staple over the course of a couple of centuries — which, in gemstone terms, is actually pretty fast.

Aquamarine Birthstone Facts

• Mineral family: Beryl (same family as emerald, different trace elements)
• Mohs hardness: 7.5–8 out of 10 — durable enough for rings and daily wear
• Color range: Pale icy blue to deep ocean blue-green ("Santa Maria" shades)
• Main sources: Brazil, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia, Pakistan, Afghanistan
• Clarity: Typically eye-clean — no visible inclusions
• Fun fact: Large aquamarine crystals are relatively common, which is why bigger center stones stay accessible in price

Aquamarine belongs to the beryl mineral family — the same as emerald, minus the chromium and vanadium that give emerald its green. That's part of why well-cut aquamarine has such a clean, luminous quality; the crystal structure tends toward clarity rather than the inclusions that characterize emerald.

That durability is a big part of why aquamarine works in rings, not just in necklaces and earrings that take less of a daily beating. Bloodstone, for comparison, sits lower on the hardness scale (around 6.5 to 7) and is valued more for symbolism and appearance than for size or clarity.

March Birthstone Jewelry Ideas

This is the part where the stone becomes a piece, and where things get a little more personal.

A necklace is usually where people start, and for good reason. Something like the Aquamarine Spotlight Necklace — 14K solid yellow gold, a bezel-set aquamarine surrounded by our signature diamonds — works as a birthday gift, sure. But it's also the kind of piece someone keeps wearing long after the occasion that prompted it. That's really the difference between a gift and an heirloom: one gets put in a drawer, the other gets worn into a life.

A piece like the Aquamarine Oceana Ring or the Aquamarine Spotlight Ring has enough hardness — that 7.5 to 8 we mentioned earlier — to handle daily wear without the constant low-level worry that comes with softer stones.

For personalization, aquamarine birthstone jewelry is about as specific and easy as gifting gets: a necklace for someone's March birthday, a small aquamarine charm added to an existing piece, a March birthstone ring marking a new mother's due date. Pieces like the Wrapped in Aquamarines Bracelet or the Aquamarine Azure Bracelet layer easily with existing gold pieces too — which is its own form of personalization, building a stack that's entirely someone's own over time.

Anniversary gifts work well here, particularly for March anniversaries, or for couples with any kind of connection to the sea. Every piece here at Audry Rose is handcrafted to order by independent designers using hand-selected natural aquamarine stones that simply look stunning.

How To Care For Aquamarine Jewelry

Aquamarine is forgiving, as gemstones go. But forgiving isn't the same as indestructible, so it's worth treating it like the durable-but-not-bulletproof stone it actually is.

Clean it with warm water, a little mild soap, and a soft brush — an old toothbrush works fine. Skip ultrasonic cleaners if there's any chance the stone has inclusions or fractures, which is more common than people assume even in high-clarity aquamarines. When in doubt, a jeweler can check before you clean.

Store aquamarine pieces separately from harder stones like diamonds, which will scratch aquamarine without much effort and without you noticing until later. A soft pouch or a lined compartment is enough.

Avoid sharp impacts. Aquamarine can chip along certain angles if struck hard — most often on a ring, during manual work or sports. For daily wear, that mostly just means taking it off before doing something a ring shouldn't really be present for. Otherwise? Wear it. That's almost the whole point of choosing a stone hard enough to actually keep up with you.

March Birthstone Frequently Asked Questions

What is the March birthstone?

Aquamarine is the official March birthstone, with bloodstone recognized as the traditional alternative.

What does aquamarine symbolize?

Calmness, clarity, courage, and protection. Historically tied to sailors and safe travel, and more recently to communication and emotional balance.

Is bloodstone also a March birthstone?

Yes. It's the older, less common alternative: a dark green stone with red flecks, traditionally associated with vitality and courage rather than calm.

What color is aquamarine?

Mostly a pale, icy blue, though it ranges through green-blue tones into deeper, saturated ocean blues — the rarer "Santa Maria" shades among them.

What is the spiritual meaning of aquamarine?

Aquamarine is often connected to the throat chakra and associated with clear communication and gentle, protective energy.

Can aquamarine be worn every day?

Yes. At 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, it's durable enough for daily wear in rings, necklaces, or bracelets — just avoid harsh impacts and ultrasonic cleaning.

Where is aquamarine found?

Brazil is the primary source, with notable deposits in Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

What zodiac signs are associated with aquamarine?

Aquamarine is most associated with Pisces, which covers most of March, but some traditions also connect it to Scorpio as a secondary stone.