Color of the Month: Aquamarine

I found time to do the Color of the Month feature! This month is actually my birthstone: aquamarine. 

Aquamarine is a gemstone in the same family as emeralds. The color of aquamarine can range from a very light, almost clear blue to deeper richer blues, as well as blue-greens. As a result I had a lot of options to play with for this manicure ;)

A little history from gemselect.com:

"According to saga, aquamarine originated in the treasure chest of fabulous mermaids, and has, since ancient times, been regarded as 'the sailors' lucky stone'. Aquamarine derives its name from the Latin term for seawater and has a long tradition of being a stone for those who spend much of their time at sea. The Greeks and the Romans knew aquamarine as the sailor's gem too, ensuring the safe and prosperous passage across many stormy seas. Legend has it that aquamarines were the prized possessions of many mermaids and would thus protect sailors from the dangers of sea, including warding off sea-sickness."

I thought that bit of mythology was really cool, especially related to myself, as I love spending time on the ocean. Also, the "fabulous mermaids" bit made me giggle. 

For this mani I used Zoya in "Blu" and my new color, "Rebel", as well as Julep's March gemstone color "Aretha". 

Ohhh, Ahhh!

Aaaand this is what I came up with...

I'm really very pleased with the turnout. I was especially surprised with how easily I was able to paint a straight line of "Rebel" over "Blue" to get the half-and-half effect. I wish my rhinestone placement was as straight, but that'll come with more practice!

I also found it Julep's March color interesting in that it reminds me a bit of a blue based "Monet" from Zoya's "Awaken" collection. Just me? Here's some macros. 

I think it is just the rainbow iridescence that reminds me of "Monet". Either way, it is a beautiful topper and a perfect color to feature for this Aquamarine mani :)