What is Amethyst ?

Crystal quartz amethyst is available in a variety of colors from light purple to reddish purple. This stone with a relatively high hardness of 7 is a beautiful gemstone for all purposes. Lower carats can be made with cabbed, shaved and lots of beads and other ornaments.

Amethyst is the most popular purple gemstone in the world. This color is the color of quartz purple and has been used as a decorative drachia for more than 2000 years. Amethyst is an important gem of the new age. Amethyst is also used to make gemstones, cabochons, beads and many other items for use in jewelry and decorations.

Amethyst has a hardness of 7 and does not break when cut. This stone is durable enough to be used in rings, pendants, bracelets, earrings and other types of jewelry. The huge resources of amethyst in South America and Africa provide amethyst enough to keep its price down so that most people can easily They can afford it.

Amethyst History

The ancient Egyptians used amethyst as a gemstone and were mainly used in ancient times for intaglio engraved gems.

The Greeks believed that gemstones could prevent poisoning, and medieval European soldiers used amethyst amulets as protection in war. They believed that amethysts improved people and kept them cool-headed. Amethyst beads were found in Anglo-Saxon tombs in England. Anglican bishops have an episcopal ring that is often associated with an amethyst.

An "amethyst-grotto" was on display near Santa Cruz in southern Brazil at a 1902 exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany.

In the 19th century, the color amethyst was attributed to the presence of manganese in it. However, because it can be greatly altered by heat and even discharged, some people believe that this dye is from an organic source. Sulfur is said to have been detected in this mineral.

The ancient necklace containing amethyst dates back to 2000 BC. An inscription on a middle stone in the Saudi script dates back to the 8th century BC.

 In ancient Greece, because of its wine-like color, amethyst was associated with Bacchus, the god of wine. Other legends reflected the beliefs that amethyst kept its garment bright and fresh in war and commerce. Because amethyst was associated with wine, it was believed that wearing amethyst prevented drunkenness.

Since beautiful amethysts have been used in religious jewelry and royal crown jewelry for many years, it was once valued equal to rubies, emeralds and sapphires, and it is not surprising that amethysts adorn the quality of the bishop's fingers as well as the crown of the British monarchy. Gives.

Amethyst is a variety of purple quartz, and we are accustomed to its abundance and fairly inexpensive price.

So, it might shock you a little to know that a gem-quality amethyst used to be as valuable as a ruby ​​in mythology. Rhea the Titan gave it to Dionysus, the god of wine, to keep his intellect healthy from the grapes. The aristocracy proudly supported it, and amethyst is even among the jewels of a country's crown. It was still a precious stone for the fortunate, until huge deposits were discovered in South America in the 1800s. When those mines started producing, amethyst became available in large quantities and you can now buy it at a fairly inexpensive price.

Amethyst Sources

The main sources of amethyst today are in Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay and Zambia. Brazil can produce stones of large size but generally of medium color. Despite more efforts by cutting machines to improve their color quality, they often show rough color. Many gemstone enthusiasts usually prefer smaller but more colorful stones than Zambia and, more recently, Uruguay.

Other notable sources of amethyst include:

·        Australia; India; Madagascar; Mexico; Morocco; Namibia; Nigeria; Russia; South Korea.

·        United States: Georgia; North Carolina.

Amethyst colors

Amethyst has become a very popular gem because of its attractive purple color. Like the word "turquoise", the word "amethyst" is now the name of a color as well as the name of a gemstone material.

While the word "amethyst" makes most people think of a dark purple gem, there are actually amethysts in a variety of purple colors. Purple can be light enough to be difficult to understand or dark enough to be almost dull. It can be reddish purple. There is a reddish purple in saturated colors, from a color that is difficult to understand to a rich and vibrant color. Amethyst is present in this wide range of colors.

Light amethyst is used to cut small stones calibrated for use in jewelry in the gemstone market. Most reddish-colored amethysts are used in high-end jewelry.

Jewelry designers have used various attributes to describe the shades of amethyst. These include orchids and lavender for lighter colors. Grapes, indigo or royal for dark colors and raspberries or plums for red. While these names can be helpful in conveying an overall color, they are by no means accurate and clear to everyone.

Amethyst is a favorite gem of artisans, jewelers, artisans and consumers due to its attractive colors, good durability and cost-effectiveness.

Amethyst Sizes

In terms of size, amethyst is different from the quartz family. Most quartz can be completely enlarged and cut into jewels of thousands of carats. However, there are only a few amethysts of 100 or more carats.

Although clear amethyst is usually present, it rarely forms in very large masses.

Amethyst Value

It can be said that the value of amethyst depends almost entirely on color. The term "Siberian" is a commercial term that refers to colors similar to amethysts mined in Siberia because Siberian mines once produced the world's best stones. They had a very rich purple color that shone with red and blue flashes.

Although Siberia reigns supreme in the list of values, brightly colored amethyst has regained popularity. The brightest shades of purple-pink are called "Rose de France", a term used in marketing. If you use fancy and unusual cuts, the facade art of precious stones can shine through these precious stones.

Because amethyst is readily available in large sizes, its value is gradually increasing per carat. Because this stone is abundant, there is little reason to pay high prices for parts with visible or lower cut components.

Variety of Amethyst

·        BI Color Amethyst

This amethyst is caused by environmental changes during formation. Bi Color Amethyst (also called quartz amethyst) is a combination of two colors of amethyst and white quartz. Good examples of this type of amethyst have a balanced contrast between their colors.

·         Canadian Amethyst 

 Amethyst with red hematite lining is found below the crystal surface, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

·         Lavender Amethyst 

 A variety of pale purple amethyst.

·         Veracruz Amethyst 

Tall Crystals, Amethyst Charter from Vera cruz, Mexico.

·        Green Amethyst

Amethyst greens range from pastel greens to deep forest greens to quartz greens. Also known as Vermarine, Green Quartz, Lime Citrine or its geometric name, Prasiolite (from the Greek words "prason", meaning leek, and "lithos", meaning stone). Olive quartz is a related color variation.

·        ROSE DE FRANCE Amethyst

'Rose de France' Amethyst (also Amethyst lavender) is lilac pink. This gem is a popular Victorian jewel that is often found in antique jewelry.

·         Amethyst Quartz 

This is a mixture of amethyst and milky quartz (or clear quartz). It is purple at the top and white or light at the bottom. It may also be purple and white.

·         Ametrine  

This is a mixture of amethyst and citrine. This area is partly purple and partly yellow or orange, and its colored areas are often severely divided.

·         Cactus Quartz 

 It is a form of quartz, usually amethyst, citrine, or a combination of the two, consisting of a large crystal or crystals grown with a layer of smaller, clustered crystals. Quartz quartz cactus (Magalisberg) is a species of this genus found in South Africa.

Best type of Amethyst

The best amethyst color is a reddish purple or deep purple, and these colors are visible to the naked eye. Amethyst sellers with a reddish-purple hue strongly prefer saturation to dark purple, as long as the stone is not so dark as to reduce its luster. If the color is too dark, an amethyst will appear black in low light conditions.

Rarest type of Amethyst

The highest quality amethyst (called "deep Russian") is very rare, so when one is found, its price depends on demand. However, orders from the cheapest price from amethyst to amethyst are still high quality.

Amethyst Uses

Amethyst, as one of the most popular gems, has a beautiful color and is relatively common, and these features make it an inexpensive and widely used gem. Most amethysts are cut into jewels, and some are sometimes cut into cabochons. Large pieces of amethyst encased in quartz are sometimes used in decoration.

Amethyst is very popular among mineral collectors. Small geode parts are sold to amateur collectors, but more serious collectors are looking for rare prismatic crystals and giant geode parts.

Properties of Amethyst

Color is the most important feature of amethyst, because deeper shades have higher prices. The most valuable amethysts are purple to medium to dark, clear and pure purple and have no shades of red or blue, generally shades of blue or red are more desirable and are very popular. Amethyst crystals are standard eye-clean and have no visible inclusions when the gem is examined 15 cm from the naked eye. Since this is a popular jewelry with cuts and gemstones, you will see different shapes and cuts of amethyst.

Identify the characteristics of amethyst

Amethysts are similar to other popular transparent gemstones such as sapphire, spinel and rhodolite garnets. However, since these gemstones are rarely found in purple, you are more likely to encounter amethysts, which are known as rare and precious stones. However, these gemstones differ significantly from others in terms of optical and physical properties. Sapphires, spinels and rhodolites all have a higher refractive index (RI), and spinels and rhodolites are isometric. Also, all of them have more specific gravity. Therefore, by comparing these factors in different rocks, amethyst can be identified among them.

Natural amethyst receives its color only from the presence of iron and other trace elements as well as natural radiation.

Enhancements

A variety of treatments can change the color of amethysts. However, to be precise, only those gemstones that are purple to deep purple remain as amethysts. The rest are simply converted to different types of quartz. For example, amethysts with yellow, orange, or red colors are called citrine by definition.

Heat treatment can lighten the color of amethyst and make it green, blue or yellow-orange. This treatment is unrecognizable and has a very good stability. Upon heating to 400-500 ° C, amethysts may turn brown, red, and sometimes green. These green quartz gemstones are known as prasiolite.

Radiation with heat may also cause brown, orange, and yellow colors in amethyst.

Amethyst Treatment

The color of amethyst can often be changed by heating. Most of the yellow to gold quartz sold as "citrine" is actually amethyst, which is modified by heating. This heating can be natural or intentionally done artificially by humans.

Natural or intentional heating can also change the color of amethyst to pale green. As mentioned earlier, the proper name for this substance is prasiolite. However, many vendors call it "green amethyst". While "describing a product with an incorrect variety name is unfair or deceptive," these sellers run the risk of being prosecuted by their customers or the Federal Trade Commission. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission has cited "green amethyst" and "yellow emerald" as examples of possible misleading names.

Sometimes prasiolite is also produced by natural amethyst radiation. This produces prasiolite with a lighter green color. If the material is heated to temperatures above 150 ° C, this color may disappear.

Heating is also used to lighten the color of very dark amethysts or to remove the brown color found in many natural materials.

Amethyst Care

Amethyst is a relatively durable gemstone with a hardness of Mohs 7, but requires a little care to maintain its smooth, natural color. In general, it seems suitable for almost any type of jewelry use.

However, with a hardness of 7, it can come in contact with a variety of common objects and can also scratch their surface. Accidental scratches on hard objects or abrasion with other stones of equal or greater hardness in the jewelry box can cause amethyst damage. Amethyst is also an almost brittle material that can be crushed or scratched by impact. It is best not to use amethyst jewelry when working in a place where this may happen.

Amethyst jewelry is best stored in a jewelry box or other dark place for a long time. Some amethysts cause the stone to fade when exposed to direct sunlight or display lights for long periods of time.

Synthetic Amethyst

Synthetic amethyst is usually produced by the hydrothermal process and is often used to make faceted gemstones and cabochons. Synthetic amethyst has the same physical properties and chemical composition as natural amethyst. Even if it is a gemstone with a medium price, but the price advantage of synthetic materials is significant. Synthetic amethyst is often not sold as natural amethyst.

Even if amethyst is not a very expensive material, artificial amethyst has been produced since at least 1970. Since then, many goods have been created from synthetic amethyst using veneer, folding and engraving. They have entered all levels of the jewelry business. This has frustrated many jewelry consumers and they are hesitant to buy real amethyst.

Only experienced gemologists can detect some natural amethysts under a microscope, if they show colored zoning and contain certain minerals. However, many natural amethysts have a very high degree of transparency and their chemical composition can be difficult or impossible to find.

In the early days, synthetic amethyst did not display Brazil law twinning, which is almost always present in natural amethyst. It could also be used to identify other synthetic materials, but when synthetic amethyst growers realized this, they began using twinning amethyst slices as seed crystals. Almost all synthetic amethysts are now produced in the laboratory with Brazil law twinning.

Imitation of Amethyst: Humans use a variety of artifacts to simulate amethyst. It is like a Russian glass and ceramic material called Nanosital.

Amethyst Healing

People have been collecting jewelry for centuries and are amazed at their beauty. Over time, all over the world, many people believe that gemstones have the ability to heal, protect or comfort the person who owns or wears them.

Even if there is no scientific evidence that gemstones have healing or spiritual powers, many people believe that gemstones have healing or spiritual powers. Today, amethyst is one of the most popular "healing stones". Millions of dollars a year are spent on amethyst crystals, beads and other amethyst items to be used in a variety of ways.

In fact, amethyst is a powerful and protective stone. This stone protects against psychological attack, converts energy into love, and protects the person against all kinds of injuries, including geopathic or electromagnetic pressure. In general, amethyst is a natural sedative, relieves stress and pressure, calms irritability, balances, relieves anger, fear and anxiety. Amethyst reduces sadness and dissolves negative energy. Amethyst increases spiritual awareness, opens intuition and enhances mental abilities. This stone has a powerful healing and cleansing power. Amethyst encourages alertness, and is said to have a conscious effect on excessive alcohol, drug or other addiction. It calms and stimulates the mind, helps you focus more, strengthens memory and improves overall motivation. Amethyst helps in remembering and understanding dreams. Eliminates insomnia. Strengthens self-sacrifice and spiritual wisdom.

Medically, amethyst increases hormone production in the body, regulates the endocrine system and metabolism. This stone strengthens the immune system, reduces pain and strengthens the body to fight cancer. It kills malignant tumors and helps regenerate tissue in the body. Cleanses the blood. Amethyst relieves physical, emotional and mental pain or stress. Relieves headaches and relieves tension. Improves bruising, swelling, injury and treats hearing disorders. Amethyst treats some diseases of the lungs and respiratory system, skin diseases, cellular disorders and gastrointestinal diseases to some extent.

Amethyst as a gift

February's birthstone is amethyst. The purple color of quartz that has fascinated mankind for centuries. Its light purple to deep purple colors can be extracted and cut into different shapes and sizes or made in a laboratory. Amethyst, the birthstone of February can be found in royal family collections throughout Europe and Asia. But it is now also available to most consumers. Consider a stunning amethyst for the king or queen of your heart or treat yourself to a royal gift. If your birthday is in February, wearing an amethyst is a symbol of your personal strength and inner strength.