Rough Amethyst gemstone description:

Amethyst is a variety of Quartz and is the world’s most popular purple gemstone. Amethyst has been highly admired for over 2 thousand years because of its stunning beauty; in fact, they also name them “Gem of Fire.” It is the birthstone of February and is also considered the 6th Anniversary gemstone. It is the stone of Valentine and faithful love because it carries the energy of fire and passion, creativity, and spirituality. Amethyst is a semiprecious stone often used to produce cabochons, beads, faceted stones, and many other items for ornamental and jewelry use. Amethyst possesses a Mohs hardness of 7 and is durable enough to use in rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and other types of jewelry.

General Information of Raw Amethyst: 

A variety or type of:	Quartz
Chemical Formula	SiO2
Lustre	Vitreous
Mohs Hardness	7
Specific Gravity	2.65
Fracture	Conchoidal
Heat Sensitivity	The color does not resist high temperatures. When subjected to the action of heat, it shifts first to a more or less pronounced yellow, steadily assumes a greenish shade, and finally disappears.
Amethyst Treatments	Heat treatment between (470 to 750-degree C) produces light yellow, red-brown, green, or colorless varieties. Its original color can be restored by X-ray radiation.
Crystallography of Amethyst:
Crystal System	Trigonal
Habit	Hexagonal Prisms

 

Rough Amethyst Color:

The most delicate amethyst color is an intense reddish purple or purple with no visible color zoning. Gem dealers prefer strongly saturated reddish-purple to dark purple, as long as the stone is not so dark that it degrades brightness. If the tone is too dark, an amethyst might look black under dim lighting conditions. Any bronze-colored or brownish tints in an amethyst’s purple color, or any noticeable color zoning, lower its value dramatically.

Color	Purple, Violet, Pale Red-Violet
Color (In Daylight)	Some amethyst lose some brightness in daylight
Transparency	Transparent, Translucent

 

Amethyst Clarity:

Much of the cut amethyst in the market is eye-clean, indicating it lacks eye-visible inclusions. African material, remarkably from Zambia, can be extremely saturated raspberry color. It tends to have more inclusions than the ones from Brazil. However, this is considered acceptable in cabochon and facet grade due to its striking color. Eye-clean gem of the same color is more valuable. Amethysts with eye-visible inclusions but charming color are customarily cut into beads or cabochons that display exceptional brilliance and high clarity.

Amethyst Cut:

As with all facet grade stones, the cutter’s skill makes a huge difference in the polished product. Someone who knows how to maximize light while evading large dull windows in the stones will craft a much higher quality stone with the same rough as someone who is new and still learning this craft. Cabochon and facet grade amethyst is faceted into a variety of shapes and cutting styles. These include emerald, rounds, ovals, pear cuts, triangles, cushions, marquises, and others. Facet designs include the typical triangular and kite-shaped facet, also called brilliant cuts, rows of concentric parallel cuts called step cuts, and mixed cuts combined with both facet patterns. Amethyst is also a trendy gem for cutting into a variety of freeform or custom shapes. It is also called fantasy or designer cuts that can be mass-produced or created as one-of-a-kind pieces.

Amethyst Carat:

Amethyst crystals do not get very substantial; crystals longer than 30 cm are very scarce. It is found in various shapes and forms; the most common growth forms are:

• Druzy crystal aggregates which outline cavities; the crystals are usually short-prismatic and often lack prism faces. Most common in volcanic rocks, but also in hydrothermal veins, and even in cavities in sedimentary rocks.
• Scepters (late syntaxial overgrowth) on other color varieties of quartz, in particular in high- to medium-temperature environments like alpine-type fissures and pegmatites.
• Split-growth crystals (“artichoke quartz”) in hydrothermal veins in ore deposits, but also in volcanic rocks.
• As individual well-formed crystals in small cavities and fissures, in particular in volcanic rocks.
• As hydrothermal vein filling, often with several growth phases with variable color that cause a banding pattern.

Amethyst is admired as a large center stone and available in all sizes for setting into a variety of jewelry styles. They are also commonly found in cabochon and facet grade, which are then cut into calibrated cuts, which means they’re cut precisely to standard industry sizes, in all qualities.

Below table shows the heaviest and the lightest amethyst ever recorded

Heaviest (rough)	2.5 Tonne (The Empress of Uruguay)
Lightest (faceted)	0.34 cts
Heaviest (faceted)	105.01 cts

Amethyst Localities:

Enormous deposits of amethyst are located worldwide; some of the documented deposits are followed!

Country	Mines
Afghanistan	Zarkashan Mine
Bolivia	Anahi Mine, Ayoreita Mine, Pobre Mine
Brazil	Brejinho das Ametistas Mine, Alto Bonito claim Mine, Ametista do Sul Mine, Erechim Mine, Bella Vista Mine
Cambodia	Ratanakiri Mines
Canada	Ontario Gem Mine, Thunder Bay Amethyst Mine
Kenya	Baobab Mine
Madagascar	Andilamena Quartz Quarries Mine, Antsahalava pegmatite Mine, Ambilobe Mine
Mexico	Amatitlán Mine
Myanmar	Kabaing Mine, Shwe-pyi-aye Mine
Namibia	Goboboseb Mountains, Platveld Mine
Nigeria	Jalingo Mine
Peru	Casma Mine
Russia	Kedon Mine, Korabl Cape Mine
South Korea	Eonyang Mine
Sri Lanka	Gem gravels Mine
Uruguay	Artigas Mines, Santa Ana Quarry Mines
USA	Four Peaks Amethyst Mine, Jackson Crossroads Amethyst Mine

Amethyst Associations:

Chakras	Crown Chakra, Third Eye Chakra
Birthstone	February
Zodiac	Aquarius, Capricorn, Virgo, Pisces, Sagittarius
Anniversary	6th
Planet	Jupiter

Healing Properties of Amethyst:

Increases nobility, Inner peace and healing, Positive transformation, Balance, Relieves stress, Communication

• Amethyst is a robust and shielding stone; it protects the wearer from all types of harm, such as electromagnetic stress and evil wishes from others.
• It is excellent for balancing mood swings; moreover, it relieves stress and strain, soothes irritability, dispels anger, rage, fear, and anxiety.
• It helps you become more focused, enhancing memory, and improving motivation.
• It encourages you to dream and assists in remembering and understanding dreams.
• It fights against cancer by strengthing the immune system, cleanses the blood, and enhances the body to bear less pain.
• Amethyst treats diseases of the lungs and respiratory system, skin conditions, and cellular disorders.
• Astrologists recommend amethyst for overcoming financial stress, professional instability, and unhealthy addictions.