Amethyst - The Color, Shapes, and Sizes

Amethyst is a beautiful stone that is in the quartz family. Amethyst is the most precious quartz mineral and comes in a few distinct colors including violet, purple, rose, lavender and mauve. When it comes to value, the most valuable color is that of a deep purple with tinges of violet. There are many gemstones that are similar in consistency to Amethyst, one of them is Citrine. Citrine is Amethyst that is heated; it turns yellow orange in color.

Amethyst is a relatively hard substance. It is rated a 7 on the Moh’s scale which means it is a great stone to make ornamental jewelry out of. However, it should be noted that Amethyst can fracture when hit with too much force, even though it has a rating of 7 on Moh’s scales it is still 1/15 the hardness of a diamond.

Amethyst can come in many sizes and while jewelry grade, Amethyst is very rare, other types of Amethyst can be meters long. Yes, meters long. For instance, Amethyst was founded in Mexico in 1900; it measured 33 feet, by 16 feet, by 10 feet and weighed over 8 tones. However, the largest jewelry grade Amethyst stones found are usually about the size of a fist, some weighting about 700 carats.

Amethyst can be found all around the world, however the major deposits of Amethyst are found in southern Brazil, Uruguay and Madagascar. Amethyst found in Southern Brazil are usually light violet. Uruguay Amethyst are the most beautiful, but can have blemishes. The Amethyst in Madagascar are usually red in color. Amethyst is also found in parts of Germany and in Russia, located by the Ural Mountains.

Amethyst - Where it’s Formed and Found

Amethyst is a type of quartz that is extremely popular and used mainly for ornamental jewelry. Amethyst usually comes in beautiful hues of violent and purple. Sometimes it might be a lavender or pink. However the most sought after Amethyst are those that have a deep purple hue.

Amethyst’s scientific formula is SiO2 it is made from Sulfur and Oxygen. The color of Amethyst was first attributed to manganese, however today; some people attribute the violet color to Ferric Thiocynate.

Amethyst is created from quartz, usually from alternate shifts of right and left handed lamellae. Lamellae is a geological term used to denote shifts in the earths crust. Amethyst is usually found crystallized and may have what is called thumb markings. Thumb markings are due to rippling or fractures in the crystals. Amethyst is a pretty hard gemstone and on Moh’s scale is rated with a hardness of 7. Amethyst’s hardness makes it perfect for ornamental jewelry, however it should be noted that even with a hardness of 7, it is still only 1/15 the hardness of a diamond.

Amethyst can be found in many parts of the world; however Southern Brazil and Uruguay have the largest deposits in the world. Madagascar is also well known for its Amethyst deposits. In Germany, there are many areas where Amethyst have been found including the Idar- Oberstein district in Germany and Russia also has some deposits, mainly near the Ural Mountains. In the United States, Amethyst can be found, however it is usually not jewelry grade.