The color blue has inspired poets, songwriters and mankind for centuries. This season, it’s also inspiring plenty of fashion statements, as seen in Vogue, Elle and Los Angeles Times to name a few. It’s no surprise then that blue gemstones are some of the most coveted in the colored gemstone spectrum.

Sapphire, aquamarine and tanzanite are just a few of the popular blue gemstones that can be used to liven up your wardrobe by capitalizing on this season’s trend of bold, beautiful colors.

Sapphire 

Blue sapphire and diamond bracelet set in platinum.

Sapphire (as seen in this bracelet) comes from the mineral corundum and is considered one of the hardest gemstones available, making it extremely durable. The sapphire’s rich blue is one of the leading jewelry trends this year, and has been spotted all over the pages of top fashion magazines as well as the fingers of blushing brides-to-be.

Aquamarine 

Aquamarine and diamond ring set in white gold. Designed and manufactured by Greenwich Jewelers.

Aquamarine is the blue to green-blue variety of beryl. Aquamarine, as seen in this Regal Radiant™ cut aquamarine and white gold ring, evokes the enchanting qualities of a balmy sea.

Photo courtesy of Greenwich Jewelers 

Tanzanite

Winner of the 2006 Tanzanite Celebration of Life Jewelry Design Awards

Tanzanite is a relative newcomer to the precious gemstone scene, having been discovered in 1967 in Northern Tanzania. Tanzanite, like the lovely cobalt shade of this 6.99-ct pendant, is a variety of the mineral zoisite. While it can appear very similar to a sapphire, tanzanite is typically a more violet shade of blue, and due to its soft nature needs to be treated with more care.  Tanzania remains the world’s only known source of this stone.

Photo courtesy of the Tanzanite Foundation

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