Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the gemstone for the sixth & seventeenth wedding anniversaries.
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Diamond (SI2, G) and Amethyst Three Stone Rope Ring 0.70 ct tw in 14K White Gold |
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This Gemstone is the purple strain of the mineral quartz often used in jewelry. Although, there are other purple gems such as tanzanite & sapphire, Amethyst is the one that is most commonly associated with the color purple. Most gem enthusiasts think of this gem while visualizing a beautiful purple gem.
The lovely gemstones vary in hues from very pale to very dark purple. Their purple color can be cool & bluish, or a reddish purple that is also referred to as “raspberry.”
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Until the nineteenth century (prior to the discovery of sizeable deposits in Brazil), Amethyst was as expensive as ruby and emerald. Subsequent availability of plentiful supply has made it more widely available and affordable in modern times.
Nevertheless, the stone continues to remain in popular demand & its purple to pastel hue retains wide consumer appeal. The finest quality gemstones are used for crafting designer jewelry pieces while the more affordable ones are fashioned into beads or used to make mass-market jewelry.
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Facts About Amethyst:
| Mineral : | Quartz |
| Chemistry : | SiO2 Silica (Silicon Dioxide) |
| Color : | Purple |
| Refractive Index : | 1.544 to 1.553 |
| Birefringence : | 0.009 |
| Specific Gravity : | 2.66 |
| Mohs Hardness : | 7 |
The purple color of this gemstone can vary from a light lilac to a deep, intense royal purple, Or from brownish to vivid. A color fluctuation phenomenon known as color zoning is also seen frequently wherein angular zones of darker to lighter color is exhibited by the gemstone.
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The finest specimens display a medium dark purple color with a slight red color to the stone.
The wine color led early Greek legends to associate amethyst with Bacchus, the god of wine. The gemstone was also deemed to be a strong antidote to drunkenness and intoxication because of the wine connection. Wine goblets were often carved from Amethyst on account of this belief.
- The Gemstone is also thought to keep its wearer clear headed and quick witted in battle & in business affairs.
- Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst quickens intelligence and gets rid of evil thoughts.
- This gemstone is one of the emblems of the twelve apostles.
- St. Valentine, the patron of romantic love wore an amethyst ring carved with the image of Cupid.
- Even fine specimens of this gemstone have a modest price tag. Large gems remain affordable as price per carat does not rise dramatically with larger size.
- In Bolivia, amethyst and citrine occur in the same crystal. The unique gems, called ametrine, are half purple and half yellow.
- South Carolina designated this gemstone as its official state gemstone in 1969.
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Like any other gemstone, evaluation and determination of the quality of this gemstone involves the consideration of the Four Cs namely Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight.
| Color Attribute Of Gemstone Amethyst: |
The optimum color is strong reddish purple or purple with no visible color zoning.
Strongly saturated reddish purple to dark purple is the coveted color. However, the color should not be so dark that it reduces the overall brightness and brilliance of the gemstone. A very dark amethyst might look black under a dim light. The finest quality gems allow most of the incident light to pass through the stone.
The ideal grade is called “Deep Siberian” which is a primary purple hue along with some blue & red secondary hues.
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Amethyst and Diamond (SI2-I1, G-H) Eye Halo Engagement Ring 1.43 ct tw in 14K Rose Gold |
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Secondary hues of brown or bronze in a purple amethyst will radically lower its value. So will any perceptible color zoning. Color-zoning can be best viewed in a loose gemstone by placing it table down against a white background.
Gems exhibiting a weak, light color or showing strong zones of fluctuating light & dark purple have lower values.
Very light color gemstone amethyst, once considered low grade has gained a recent boost in popularity by intensive marketing strategy. It has cleverly been termed as “Rose de France” thereby bestowing an opulent aura to the stone in our minds. These light stones gain their greatest appeal with fancy and unusual cuts: the artistry of cutting being more on display than the material itself.
Very dark amethysts can be imparted a lighter color with heat treatment. So also, light color amethysts and pale quartz are known to be dyed to impart a purple color.
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| Clarity Attribute: |
Being abundantly available in nature, most of these gemstones faceted for use in jewelry are free from inclusions visible to the naked eye. In jewelry jargon, it means that they are eye-clean.
Material sourced from Zambia tends to have more inclusions than its Brazilian counterpart. Then again, Zambian gemstones have a highly saturated raspberry color. The stone is forgiven this imperfection in lieu of its dazzling sought after reddish purple. (Eye-clean material of the similar color is more valuable).
Amethysts with eye-visible inclusions but eye-catching color are generally cut as cabochons or fashioned into beads. Cabochons & beads displaying fine color and high clarity command premium price.
Occasionally, a stone might have surface reaching fractures spoiling its natural beauty and making it susceptible to breakage. In such cases, it may undergo fracture-filling treatment to enhance its clarity and durability.
| Cut Attribute: |
Amethyst is cut into a variety of calibrated shapes, sizes and cutting styles. These include most popular gemstone shapes such as ovals, rounds, pear shapes, emerald cuts, triangular shapes, marquises, cushions, and others.
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Stones showing color zoning are typically cut as rounds or ovals that allow for maximum color. Those that have the best color distribution are normally cut into fancier shapes.
Large fine stones may be sold in free sizes but generally this stone is cut in standardized dimensions.
Facet patterns include the traditional triangular and kite-shaped facet arrangements called brilliant cuts; rows of concentric parallel facets called step cuts, and mixed cuts that blend both facet arrangements. At times, they flaunt concave faceting wherein the usual flat facets are given a concave shape.
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Amethyst is cut into an array of free-form shapes as well, using hand-cutting and automated machine cutting techniques. These so-called fantasy or designer cuts can be bulk-produced for selling off-the-rack or fashioned as limited-edition or one-of-a-kind pieces. Fancy cuts lend an extra flair to this popular semi precious stone.
Other types of cuts that are also found include engravings of animals and other objects.
Lower grades of material are carved into a vast variety of beads & other ornamental objects.
| Carat Weight Attribute Of Gemstone Amethyst: |
Amethyst is available in virtually all size ranges for setting into a variety of jewelry styles. Unlike many other gems, the price per carat does not rise exponentially with larger size in case of this gemstone. As such it continues it remain it vogue as a large center stone. Amethyst is also commonly found in calibrated cuts, which are precise cuts in standard industry sizes.
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Amethyst and Diamond (SI2-I1, G-H) Twisted Halo Engagement Ring 1.50 ct tw in 14K White Gold |
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Among the most beautiful of all quartz crystals, this gemstone also poses a riddles for scientists. With a hardness measuring 7 on mohs scale, a moderate refraction and its weight in common with the other quartzes, it has crystal structure that is different and unconventional. The construction is stratified, as a result of which areas and lamellae of varying color intensity often come about. This explains why there are relatively few large cut amethysts of an evenly distributed dark color, in spite of its having been found so abundantly in all parts of the world. It is only in the last few years that scientists have been fairly certain of having found the real cause of the color. It is now attributed to certain iron constituents in connection with natural radioactive radiation.
How to Care for and Clean This Gemstone:
As a quartz crystal, this gemstone is fairly hard (measuring 7 on mohs scale) & durable. It can be worn daily. Take care when storing this gemstone as other harder stones like Diamonds can easily scratch them.
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Like most gemstones, Amethysts can be cleaned very well using mildly warm soapy water and a toothbrush.
Some of these gemstones pale almost to colorlessness in daylight. The reason for this has not yet been discovered, but it is possible to recolor them by means of radium radiation. The fact that these stones can lose their color makes it obvious that amethyst jewellery should not be worn while sunbathing, in a solarium or in a discotheque with black light. Sudden changes of temperature can also be harmful to the stone.
This is a gorgeous stone that looks great when paired with jewelry metals like Platinum, Yellow Gold, White Gold or Silver. It can create beautiful dichotomies when paired with gemstones of other colors.
The essence of the color purple, amethyst is elegant enough for crown jewels yet economical enough for class rings.
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