Amethyst is a purple form of quartz. As a hexagonal crystal, the semiprecious stone has a vitreous or glassy sheen. It frequently occurs in violet and purple hues. Amethyst symbolizes spiritual healing, serenity, and knowledge.
Look through this key resource on healing gemstones to identify a crystal that appeals to you.
What Is Amethyst?
Amethyst is a quartz variety that contains traces of titanium. It is usually violet in color, but it can also be found in some cases as pale pink, or even white.
Chemical Composition: SiO2 with traces of iron and manganese.
This leads to refraction to create a range of hues.
Refractive Index: 1.544–1.553
Although certain gemstones have similar refractive indices, measuring the refractive index is one of the initial steps in the process. Higher RI gemstones are more dazzling than lower RI gemstones. Therefore, amethyst is far less brilliant than a diamond with an RI of 2.42 but more sparkling than amber and pearl.
Hardness: 7 Mohs
According to the Mohs scale, amethyst has a hardness rating of 7, making it suitable for daily use. Amethyst shouldn’t, however, be exposed to a lot of direct sunlight because doing so could diminish its hue.
What Does Amethyst Symbolize?
Amethyst is the traditional birthstone for February and the zodiac sign Pisces. In ancient times, amethyst was believed to be a stone of sobriety and protection from drunkenness. In medieval times, it was thought to keep the wearer from becoming intoxicated by alcohol and from being poisoned by snake venom or other toxic substances.
How to Take Care of Amethyst?
Keep it aside: It is never a good idea to wear any type of fine jewelry when working out, doing duties around the house, swimming, or engaging in other hard activities. By doing this, you run the chance of the gemstone receiving accidental knocks, cracks, fading or even breaking.
Separate from other items: Putting various gemstones together can produce friction, which can result in surface scratches. Therefore, try to keep your amethyst jewelry in a box lined with silk or velvet or wrap it in a soft fabric. Keep gemstones apart from other jewelry and in a cool place.
Clean with water and cloth: Warm, sudsy water and a tightly woven microfiber cloth or other soft cloth work best for cleaning amethyst jewelry.
No consistent heat: Nearly all the amethysts on the market today have undergone artificial processing to effectively improve their color and general clarity. Because of this, they are vulnerable to sudden temperature increases, which could potentially result in internal fractures. Even the sun’s UV rays can have an impact on an amethyst's characteristics, which give it its purple color. Long-term, continuous exposure to strong natural and artificial light can cause color fading and loss of the gems.
Where to Buy it?
We hope the above will help you have a basic knowledge of amethyst, which adds an elegant hue to your life with its spectacular purple brilliance. With professional cutting techniques, Amour provides shiny amethyst at affordable prices. Please contact us at [email protected] [email protected] if you intend to buy this noble gemstone.