Amethyst, Meaning, Properties, and Facts

What is amethyst

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz: the same silicon dioxide as clear quartz, with a little iron built into the crystal. Over millions of years, natural gamma radiation from the surrounding rock changes the charge on that iron, and the altered spots absorb part of the light passing through, which leaves purple. The color often sits in bands or patches and runs darkest at the tips. Heat undoes it. Amethyst heated to a few hundred degrees Celsius turns yellow to orange, which is how most citrine on the market is made, and amethyst from a few deposits turns green instead, sold as prasiolite.

Amethyst properties

Amethyst properties are quartz properties with iron added for color (gem data on GIA's amethyst page):

Where amethyst is found

Amethyst is found worldwide, but much of it comes from geodes in old lava flows in southern Brazil and northern Uruguay. Zambia is known for deep, saturated purple. Mexico sends slender, pale crystals from Las Vigas in Veracruz and darker ones from Guerrero, and Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada, produces amethyst often tipped red by hematite. Madagascar, Bolivia and the Four Peaks of Arizona add more. See how they compare in types of amethyst from around the world.

Amethyst crystal forms and colors

Amethyst crystal forms run from geode linings of short purple points to long single crystals, scepters and banded chevron amethyst, and the color ranges from pale lilac to deep violet. Three trade names lean on amethyst: spirit quartz, where a crust of tiny points coats a larger crystal; Super Seven, amethyst with iron and titanium mineral inclusions; and pink amethyst, a pale pink quartz from Argentina that borrows the name.

How to tell if amethyst is real

How to tell if amethyst is real starts with the color: natural amethyst is rarely even, and it usually shows bands, patches or a paler base under darker tips. Glass imitations look too uniform and show round bubbles or swirls under a 10x loupe. Lab-grown amethyst is quartz too, grown in a factory, and it is common in jewelry; telling it apart takes a gem lab. Purple fluorite gets mistaken for amethyst as well, but it is much softer (Mohs 4), splits along flat cleavage planes and often grows as cubes. Full tests are in the amethyst real-or-fake guide.

Amethyst hardness and care: water and sun

Amethyst hardness is 7 on the Mohs scale, so care is easy: it can go in water, and everyday wear will not scratch it easily. Rinse it in plain water and dry it with a soft cloth. The real risk is light. Months of direct sun or high heat can bleach the purple, so keep it off bright windowsills and out of hot cars. See the full list of crystals that fade in the sun.

Amethyst price and value

Amethyst price and value come down to color first: deep, even purple with flashes of red and blue, sold in the trade as Deep Siberian, sits at the top. Pale lilac and brownish or grayish tones sell for less. For crystals and clusters, size, sharp undamaged tips, luster and locality matter more than gem grading. GIA explains the gem side in its amethyst quality factors. Amethyst once ranked with ruby and emerald in value, until huge Brazilian deposits reached the market and made it affordable.

Amethyst meaning and benefits

Amethyst meaning and benefits, in crystal lore, are calm, sleep and a clear head. That is belief, not chemistry. The history is older than the lore: the name comes from the ancient Greek amethystos, "not drunk," because Greeks believed the stone guarded against drunkenness, and some carved drinking cups from it. Amethyst is the February birthstone, and it has long been set in the rings of Catholic bishops.

Amethyst for sale

Amethyst for sale at geoslut arrives in drops of one-of-one pieces, each photographed in daylight and labeled with its mineral and locality, and the list hears first.

Amethyst FAQ

Can amethyst go in water?

Amethyst can go in water: at 7 on the Mohs scale it will not dissolve or soften, so a rinse in plain water is fine.

Does amethyst fade in the sun?

Amethyst can fade in the sun over months of direct light, and heat speeds it up, so display it away from bright windows.

What does the word amethyst mean?

The word amethyst means "not drunk," from the ancient Greek amethystos, after the old belief that the stone prevented drunkenness.

How rare is amethyst?

Amethyst is not rare: big deposits in Brazil, Uruguay and Zambia keep it common, though deep, even purple gems and large, sharp crystals are scarce.

Is amethyst a birthstone?

Amethyst is the birthstone for February.

Sources

• Amethyst, GIA
• Amethyst quality factors, GIA
• Amethyst, Wikipedia