Aquamarine is a gemstone which can be the centre of many different products. It is a variation of the beryl, which itself is a silicate mineral. An aquamarine is light blue, but can also be available in delicate greenish tones. The colour of aquamarines is always pale and they are transparent or at least translucent. The name-giving colouring of aquamarines (lat. aqua marina - sea water) results from the admixture of titanium ions. Bivalent iron ions can also be responsible for the pale blue. Aquamarine also gives its name to a colour shade, which is a strong green blue. When aquamarines are used in jewellery, they are particularly coveted in transparent yet intense blue. This variation is rather rare in nature, which is why it is often helped by human hands to obtain the desired shade of colour. For this purpose the aquamarine is heated, which is called firing. Such unnaturally colored Aquamarines can hardly be distinguished from real, naturally colored stones and do not have to be marked as treated. The popular gemstone is often imitated by coloured glass or artificially produced quartz.