ForMatter/Materials/gemstone/Aquamarine
mat_gem_aquamarine

Aquamarine

beryl (Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈) iron-colored, blue/blue-green · aqua, aquamarine beryl
highlast updated 2026-04-28

Beryl in pale blue to blue-green — colored by ferrous iron — and the most widely available member of the beryl family. Cleaner than emerald (which is the same mineral colored differently) because aquamarine doesn't grow in the inclusion-rich geological environments emerald does. Often heat-treated to push trace yellow components out of the color, leaving pure blue.

Be₃Al₂Si₆O₁₈ in hexagonal crystal system, Mohs 7.5–8. Fe²⁺ trace impurity provides blue color; Fe³⁺ adds yellow component, suppressed by routine heat treatment at 400–450 °C. Specific gravity 2.71. Refractive indices 1.577 / 1.583 (same as emerald — same mineral). Significantly cleaner clarity than emerald in standard commercial grades.

Mechanical

  • Mohs hardness7.75
  • specific gravity2.71
source: GIA Aquamarine Quality Factors

Optical

  • refractive index omega1.583
  • refractive index epsilon1.577
source: GIA

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon · kg CO₂e/carat0.8
  • recyclabilityhigh
  • biodegradableFalse
  • certificationsGIA origin determination available
  • localityprimary mining: Brazil (Minas Gerais), Mozambique, Madagascar, Pakistan, Nigeria
visual
cool pale blue, often eye-clean even in larger sizes
tactile
cool, smooth, hard

PBR starter values

finish · crystalline — open for table, JSON, host snippets, downloads

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere crystalline finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material. Or grab the whole library at once: ForMaterials library →

# finish:                   crystalline
albedo                      #6fb4d8
metallic                    0.00
roughness                   0.05
ior                         2.42
transmission                1.00
clearcoat                   0.00
sheen                       0.00
anisotropic                 0.00
thickness                   0.80
attenuation_distance        1.50
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#6fb4d8",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 2.42,
  "transmission": 1.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0,
  "thickness": 0.8,
  "attenuation_distance": 1.5
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Aquamarine · finish: crystalline
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_gem_aquamarine")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.159, 0.4564, 0.6867, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.050
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 2.420
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 1.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Aquamarine · finish: crystalline
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_gem_aquamarine", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (111, 180, 216))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.050)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 2.420)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 1.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Aquamarine \u00b7 finish: crystalline",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.159,
    "g": 0.4564,
    "b": 0.6867
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.05,
  "ior": 2.42,
  "opacity": 0.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_gem_aquamarine",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.159,
          0.4564,
          0.6867,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.05
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 2.42
        },
        "KHR_materials_transmission": {
          "transmissionFactor": 1.0
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Aquamarine · finish: crystalline
def Material "mat_gem_aquamarine" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_gem_aquamarine/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.159, 0.4564, 0.6867)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.050
        float   inputs:ior          = 2.420
        float   inputs:opacity      = 0.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
Substitutes
Emerald (Natural)
Morganite
Finishes that suit this material
Asscher cut (square step) · polished
Emerald cut (rectangular step cut) · polished
Pear cut (teardrop modified brilliant) · polished
Round brilliant cut (gemstone) · polished

Second life

repairabilitymoderate — re-cuts.
recyclabilitymoderate — beryl-family resale.
disposal pathresale.
typical longevity1000 years (typical)
failure modes
  • cleavage
  • minor UV color-shift

GIA beryl-family grading.

Citations

Further reading