The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
aquamarine
(k´´wmrn´, äk´´) (KEY) [Lat.,=seawater], transparent beryl with a blue or bluish-green color. Sources of the gems include Brazil, Siberia, the Union of Myanmar, Madagascar, and parts of the United States. Oriental aquamarine is a transparent crystalline corundum with a bluish tinge. The emerald is similar in composition, differing only in color.