Aquamarine and bloodstone are the two birthstones for March.

Aquamarine overview: In color, aquamarine is reminiscent of sky and sea and is associated with those qualities. In addition to being a March birthstone, some sources mention that aquamarine is the gem of choice for a 19th wedding anniversary gift. In 1936 the government of Brazil gave First Lady Elenor Roosevelt a dark blue, rectangular step cut gem that weighed 1,298 carats! In 1947 the gem was donated to the Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Library, located in Hyde Park, upstate New York. Click on this link to look further: https://fdr.blogs.archives.gov/2012/11/27/from-the-museum-45/

Bloodstone Overview: Bloodstone is a type of chalcedony, which is a form of quartz. It has vivid red spots and veins, generally from iron oxide and hemotite. The amount of chlorite particles affects how green the stone is. Good quality bloodstone is characterized by a solid green color with visible veins of red. There are 2 forms of bloodstone: heliotrope, which is more transparent with red spots, and plasma, which is more opaque and has little or no red spots. It is generally found embedded in rocks and riverbeds as pebbles. Primary sources for this gemstone are India, Brazil and Australia.

Blood stone may not have the visible beauty of aquamarine but it is valued for its symbolism and other properties. Bloodstone is called a heliotrope, a word from ancient Greek that means “to turn the sun.” Many believe it was named as such because of how minerals reflect light. In fact, some believed that the sun itself would turn red if this gemstone was put into water. It is also believed that the first bloodstone was formed when Christ’s blood dripped at the foot of the cross, staining jasper that turned to bloodstone.