Amethyst

1. Amethyst

2. Amethyst Story Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος amethystos from α- a-, "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) methysko / μεθώ metho (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness. The ancient Greeks wore amethyst and carved drinking vessels from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication

3. Structure Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO2) and owes its violet color to irradiation, impurities of iron and in some cases other transition metals, and the presence of other trace elements, which result in complex crystal lattice substitutions. The hardness of the mineral is the same as quartz, thus making it suitable for use in jewelry.

4. Hue and Tone Amethyst occurs in primary hues from a light lavender or pale violet, to a deep purple. Amethyst may exhibit one or both secondary hues, red and blue. High quality amethyst can be found in Siberia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Far East. The ideal grade is called "Deep Siberian" and has a primary purple hue of around 75–80%, with 15–20% blue and (depending on the light source) red secondary hues.Rose de France’ is defined by its markedly light shade of the purple, reminiscent of a lavender/lilac shade. These pale colors were once considered undesirable but have recently become popular due to intensive marketing. Green quartz is sometimes incorrectly called green amethyst, which is a misnomer and not an appropriate name for the material, the proper terminology being prasiolite. Other names for green quartz are vermarine or lime citrine.

5. Amethyst frequently shows color zoning, with the most intense color typically found at the crystal terminations. One aspect in the art of lapidary involves correctly cutting the stone to place the color in a way that makes the tone of the finished gem homogeneous. Often, the fact that sometimes only a thin surface layer of violet color is present in the stone or that the color is not homogeneous means that only a small portion of the material is suitable for faceting. The color of amethyst has been demonstrated to result from substitution by irradiation of trivalent iron (Fe3+) for silicon in the structure, in the presence of trace elements of large ionic radius, and, to a certain extent, the amethyst color can naturally result from displacement of transition elements even if the iron concentration is low. Natural amethyst is dichroic in reddish violet and bluish violet, but when heated, turns yellow-orange, yellow-brown, or dark brownish and may resemble citrine, but loses its dichroism, unlike genuine citrine. When partially heated, amethyst can result in ametrine.

6. History Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and was largely employed in antiquity for intaglio engraved gems. The Greeks believed amethyst gems could prevent intoxication, while medieval European soldiers wore amethyst amulets as protection in battle in the belief that amethysts heal people and keep them cool-headed. Beads of amethyst were found in Anglo-Saxon graves in England. Anglican bishops wear an episcopal ring often set with an amethyst, an allusion to the description of the Apostles as "not drunk" at Pentecost in Acts 2:15. A large geode, or "amethyst-grotto", from near Santa Cruz in southern Brazil was presented at a 1902 exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany.

7. Geographic Distribution Amethyst is found in many locations around the world. Between 2000 and 2010, the greatest production was from Marabá and Pau d'Arco, Pará, and the Paraná Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Sandoval, Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Artigas, Uruguay; Kalomo, Zambia; and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lesser amounts are found in many other locations in Africa, Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Russia, Afghanistan, South Korea, Mexico, and the United States. Amethyst is produced in abundance from the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil where it occurs in large geodes within volcanic rocks. Many of the hollow agates of southwestern Brazil and Uruguay contain a crop of amethyst crystals in the interior. Artigas, Uruguay and neighboring Brazilian state Rio Grande do Sul are large world producers, with lesser quantities mined in Minas Gerais and Bahia states.

8. Amethyst is also found and mined in South Korea. The large opencast amethyst vein at Maissau, Lower Austria, was historically important, but is no longer included among significant producers. Much fine amethyst comes from Russia, especially from near Mursinka in the Ekaterinburg district, where it occurs in drusy cavities in graniticrocks. Amethyst was historically mined in many localities in south India, though these are no longer significant producers. One of the largest global amethyst producers is Zambia in southern Africa with an annual production of about 1000 tons. Amethyst occurs at many localities in the United States. The most important production is at Four Peaks, Gila and Maricopa Counties, Arizona, and Jackson's Crossroads, Wilkes County, Georgia. Smaller occurrences have been reported in the Red Feather Lakes, near Fort Collins, Colorado; Amethyst Mountain, Texas; Yellowstone National Park; Delaware County, Pennsylvania; Haywood County, North Carolina; Deer Hill and Stow, Maine and in the Lake Superior region of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Amethyst is relatively common in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia. The largest amethyst mine in North America is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario

9. Faceted amethyst Emerald cut amethyst Amethyst crystals from Mexico

10. Cultural History

11. Ancient Greece The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken", from Greek a-, "not" + methustos, "intoxicated". Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it. In his poem "L'Amethyste, ou les Amours de Bacchus et d'Amethyste" (Amethyst or the loves of Bacchus and Amethyste), the French poet Remy Belleau (1528–1577) invented a myth in which Bacchus, the god of intoxication, of wine, and grapes was pursuing a maiden named Amethyste, who refused his affections. Amethyste prayed to the gods to remain chaste, a prayer which the chaste goddess Diana answered, transforming her into a white stone. Humbled by Amethyste's desire to remain chaste, Bacchus poured wine over the stone as an offering, dyeing the crystals purple. Variations of the story include that Dionysus had been insulted by a mortal and swore to slay the next mortal who crossed his path, creating fierce tigers to carry out his wrath. The mortal turned out to be a beautiful young woman, Amethystos, who was on her way to pay tribute to Artemis. Her life was spared by Artemis, who transformed the maiden into a statue of pure crystalline quartz to protect her from the brutal claws. Dionysus wept tears of wine in remorse for his action at the sight of the beautiful statue. The god's tears then stained the quartz purple.

12. Other Cultural Associations Tibetans consider amethyst sacred to the Buddha and make prayer beads from it. Amethyst is considered the birthstone of February. In the Middle Ages, it was considered a symbol of royalty and used to decorate English regalia. In the Old World, amethyst was considered one of the Cardinal gems, in that it was one of the five gemstones considered precious above all others, until large deposits were found in Brazil.

13. Value Up until the 18th century, amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald). However, since the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil, it has lost most of its value. Collectors look for depth of color, possibly with red flashes if cut conventionally. As amethyst is readily available in large structures the value of the gem is not primarily defined by carat weight; this is different from most gemstones where the carat weight exponentially increases the value of the stone. The biggest factor in the value of amethyst is the color displayed. The highest-grade amethyst (called "Deep Russian") is exceptionally rare and therefore, when one is found, its value is dependent on the demand of collectors. It is, however, still orders of magnitude cheaper than the highest-grade sapphires or rubies.

14. Color Of Amethyst Gemstone 1. Amethyst Gemstone is very attractive gemstone because of purple color. Amethyst is the name of the color as like word Turquoise. 2. Variety of shades of Amethyst Orchid and Lavender for light color, Reddish Purple or Violetish color.

15. Amethyst Crystal Amethyst receiving at purple color during crystal growth when trace amount of iron are in corporate into a growing quartz crystal. The intensity of purple color vary from crystal to crystal. After the crystallization, gamma rays emitted by the radioactive material, and use iron to purple color.

16. Amethyst Crystal

17. Properties Of Amethyst Gemstone 1. Amethyst is a powerful and protective gemstone. 2. Amethyst boosts hormone production, tune the endocrine system and metabolism. 3. Amethyst protects the wearer from all types of harm psychic attack and other health problem.

18. Care Of Amethyst Gem and Jewelry Avoid prolonged to bright light. Always cleaned amethyst jewelry with warm and sudsy water or use soft cloth.

19. Amethyst Treatment to Citrine and Prasiolite . The color of Amethyst can be modified by heating. . Yellow or Golden Quartz sold as “Citrine”. . Natural heating can also change the color of Amethyst to pale green the name of the treatment is called Prasiolite.

20. CUT Amethyst can be cut into a wide variety of shapes. As this is the case, you will be almost guaranteed to find a stone to fit your personal style. You will find these gemstones cut into standard shapes like rounds, pears, ovals, and cushions. You will also find purple quartz cut into faceted patterns referred to as brilliant cuts. And, if you are exceptionally adventurous, it is possible to find this special stone cut into one-of-a-kind shapes.

21. CARAT Carat weight is always of importance in the discussion of gemstones. This stunning gemstone is often chosen as a center stone in jewelry as the cost of an amethyst does not increase in cost as dramatically with size as many other gemstones. Like other semi-precious gemstones, a large amethyst will be noticeably more cost-effective than precious stones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

22. CLARITY Although clarity can have an impact on the value of your amethyst, so long as inclusions are indistinguishable to the naked eye, they will not greatly reduce the value of your stone. Indeed, color is more important in determining the value of this particular gem than minor flaws. Even with minor undistinguishable flaws, an amethyst with good color will retain most of its value.

23. How is Amethyst Graded? Whether you are born in the month of February or are just a fan of this engaging purple gemstone, you will want to understand how amethysts are graded for quality. Amethysts gemstones typically fall under a AAAA to B grading system.

24. AAAA GRADING It is extremely rare to find an amethyst with this rating. Only 1% of all amethysts can be expected to fall under this category. These stones will have no inclusions visible to the naked eye. Considered heirloom quality, these much sought after gemstones will have a distinctly dark purple hue.

25. AAA GRADING You can expect to find only 10% of amethyst to fall into this category. These exceptional gemstones will have no visible flaws and a medium to dark purple color.

26. AA GRADING Approximately 33% of amethyst on the market will fall into this category. You can expect to find slight inclusions in these medium purple gemstones.

27. A GRADING Still considered good, these light purple amethysts can be expected to have slight to moderate inclusions.

28. B GRADING There are also amethysts with a B grading, but we do not recommend B grade amethysts to be set in jewelry. They have obvious inclusions, and its color would have hues of grey and/or brown. B grade amethysts are usually chosen to be cut into cabochons, or beads. However, there are circumstances where it can be treated to have a richer purple color.

29. Color Chart Of all Grades

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