Amethyst - February birthstone
Mohs Hardness 7
Mined From Russia, Brazil, India, Namibia, Sri Lanka, USA, Uruguay, Zambia.
Species Quartz
Typical Cutting Style Cabochon and Faceted or Bead
Colour The colour of Amethyst ranges from the palest lilac to deep rich purple shades. Amethyst is dichroic showing bluish or reddish purple tinge when viewed from different angles. Experts consider African Amethyst ; royal purple with reddish overtones to be the gems finest colour.
Chemistry An Amethyst chemistry is made from SiO2 silicon dioxide with trace elements of iron.
Treatment Heat treatment is the main treatment for an Amethyst gemstone, when in the heating process it will produce light yellow, red-brown, green or colourless varieties.
Inclusions Amethyst commonly shows what is called zoning, which consists of angular zones of dark to light colour. A typical inclusion that can be found in amethyst is tiger stripe, this characteristic is caused by parallel liquid filled canals within the stone.
Cleaning & Care Warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush will help maintain the sparkle of your Amethyst. Ultra sonic machine cleaning is generally safe except for rare instances when the stone has been dyed or treated with fracture filling. Steam cleaning is not recommended as Amethyst should not be exposed to heat. Abrupt temperature changes can cause amethyst to fracture. Some amethyst colour can fade with prolonged exposure to intense light. Amethyst can also be damaged by hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride, and alkaline solutions. Visit us on a yearly basis for a FREE clean and polish service.
Storing Your Amethyst When you are not wearing your Amethyst jewellery place it in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment to other gemstone jewellery (i.e. emerald, sapphire, ruby, diamond are higher on the Mohs hardness scale) they could cause scratches to your amethyst jewellery.
Interesting Facts Amethyst is one of the most popular crystalline quartzes and was very popular in 19th – 20th century jewellery. A deep uniform purple colour is more expensive than pale lavender shades. Amethyst was associated with Bacchus – the god of wine, it was traditionally worn to guard against drunkenness and to install a sober and serious mind.
A closely related quartz variety called Ametrine contains a striking mixture of two contrasting quartzes, purple amethyst and yellow citrine.
The worlds largest Geode of amethyst was given the name Empress of Uruguay, with measurements of over three metres tall (that’s eleven feet) and weighing two and a half tonnes