(It's been a long time between postings on my blog ...since then I have opened a new shop in Clifton and business is booming! As a New Year’s Resolution this year, 2025, I decided that I would finish some things that I have started. So please read on and enjoy! Warmly, Kate)
Continuing my thread for birthstones, amethyst is February. If you celebrate your birthday this month, it is said that wearing an amethyst shows your inner personal strength. Amethyst is said to ward off negative influences and its color calms mental stress. Historically, amethyst has been adored and celebrated by royalty since Alexander the Great!
At one time, until abundant amethyst deposits outside Russia were discovered, amethyst was considered as rare as ruby and emerald. Today amethyst is sourced from Africa and South America.
Amethyst is part of the quartz family. It is 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness (diamond being 10). What this means is amethyst is appropriate for most jewelry types, but over time it may show some wear. It can, however, be polished by a jeweler.
Amethyst’s color range is from pale lilac to dark violet or reddish purple. The finest quality is a vivid, medium-dark gem with no color striations (zoning) and eye-clean clarity (no visible inclusions) from the table (top of the gemstone). This would be graded as AAA. Less saturated amethyst with possible zoning would be AA or A, but still very attractive. Very light amethyst is of low value and mostly found in commercial or costume jewelry.
Amethyst, like other gemstones, can be treated by heat to lighten dark stones or to remove brownish hues. Heating can also create the yellow of a natural citrine (common today) and with further heating, can create a green quartz or praseolite. This treatment is permanent.
As with many other gemstones, there is a lab-created variety. It has the same chemical and crystal structure as a natural amethyst, so it looks the same and can only be detected by a jeweler. In the interest of transparency and honesty, all lab-created gemstones must be disclosed to consumers. The reason? Lab-created gemstones are not rare and less expensive, though still beautiful.

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