bloodstonePeople who were born on the month of March would find themselves having two birthstones – the aquamarine stone and the bloodstone. The aquamarine stone is the modern version of the birthstone whereas the bloodstone is based actually on the zodiac, which sees the zodiac sign overlapping the months of March and April.

The Aquamarine Stone

The aquamarine stone is a type of beryl stone, the same family where emeralds are also classified, and is one of the hard gems with hardness level of 7.5 to 8. The aquamarine stone is easy to identify because of the richness and intensity of its blue color. Although most of the aquamarines seen today have pale to pastel blue color as well as greenish to blue green in color. Aquamarines that have deep blue in color are rare and as such, tend to be more expensive and commands high prices in the market.

Aquamarine mines are abundant in mines around the world although the most concentrated part would be in Brazil where large deposits of aquamarines and other gemstones are easily found. Other countries that also have abundant deposits of the stone include countries like Australia, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, China and other US states.

Aside from being the birthstone of March, aquamarine stones are also pegged as the sailor’s stone. The practice of carrying the stone was first observe by the Greeks and Romans as the two believe that the stone help ships have safe voyages as well as prevent seasickness.

The Bloodstone

The bloodstone is another birthstone under the month of March although it is also considered as the birthstone for the month of April under the zodiac signs. The stone got its name from the legend that the stone received the blood of Christ when it dripped from the wound of Christ.

The stone, which is also called as heliotrope in ancient times, belongs to the quartz family. The gem is mined from India, which has the largest deposit of the gemstone in the world followed by other countries such as Brazil, Australia, US and China.

Bloodstones are rare because many considered it as an aphrodisiac and demand for the stone thus is high especially in the home country. Other medicinal properties attached to the stone include the capability of the stone to relive stomach pain as well as improve the body’s blood circulation.