Once upon a time… and so the discovery story of the elegant Aquaprase™ begins, one would think. Contrary to this, Aquaprase™ is a very newly discovered jewel hidden inside the earth, recently exposed in a remote location in Africa.

In 2013, veteran gem explorer Yianni Melas discovered a brand new blue-green gem in Africa. Over the years people had stumbled upon this stone during their exploits and everyone seemed to have different thoughts on what it was — some thought it was Opal, others thought it to be Chrysoprase and some believed it was Chrysocolla.  No one really saw any worth in it, but Melas took a pebble with him and was determined to find out where it came from and what it was. Seeking to get a final, conclusive word on what he held, in 2015 Melas sent a sample to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).  Eventually, he received a phone call that said he had found “something incredible.”  It was not a chrysoprase or a chrysocolla. It was a chalcedony that has never been discovered before.

The uniqueness of the find led Mr. Melas to setup the mine and start the mining operation, followed by Manufacturing and distribution of the stone being controlled by Avant Chordia.

After discovery of the stone as part of the efforts to market the final product and ensure that consumers could be confident that the blue-green chalcedony they were purchasing was guaranteed to be 100% natural and untreated, it was decided to coin the mark AQUAPRASE™, because it was suggestive of the variety of blue colors found in the stone while giving a nod to the waters of the Aegean Sea and the lush green vegetation surrounding Greece, Melas’ homeland.  Subsequently it was decided to jointly register AQUAPRASE™ as a trademark to market this bluish green chalcedony.

Because of Applicant’s control of the mine and the rough stones that come out of it, in particular the blue-green chalcedony, is mined, distributed and marketed as AQUAPRASE™.