This page gathers the stones in our collection described by the trade name Santa Maria. The term originates with the Santa Maria de Itabira mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, whose material became the benchmark for aquamarine of unusually deep, saturated blue. Today the name is used in the trade as a description of colour quality rather than a guarantee of geographic source, so it is best read as a statement about intensity and purity of hue.
Only one variety carries this designation here: Aquamarine, the blue to blue-green member of the beryl family, whose colour derives from traces of iron within the crystal structure. Santa Maria material sits at the strongest end of that range — a rich blue with minimal grey or green modifier, holding its saturation rather than washing out in daylight.
When choosing between stones on this page, weigh saturation against tone: very dark stones can read as inky in smaller sizes, while lighter ones may show the blue more openly. Consider also clarity, which is typically high in fine aquamarine, and the cut, since well-proportioned pavilions concentrate colour and return light evenly across the face.
