Properties, cost and distinctive features of amethyst

Unique colors in jewelry are purple quartz or amethyst. It is difficult to confuse it with other stones; it has characteristics that could make it one of the most valuable stones. But its cost is actually not that great. How much does amethyst cost?

Amethyst is a type of quartz. The name comes from Greek and means “not drunk”, perhaps this is due to the magical abilities of this stone to cleanse the mind, or perhaps with its use in the fight against alcohol addiction.

Natural stone amethyst

Amethyst stone is the first mineral in the world to be processed for use in jewelry. The stone was mentioned in the manuscripts of Ancient Egypt. Later it was widely used by clergy to decorate icons, altars, and church utensils.

Such popularity of the stone has given rise to many legends. The most famous of them explains the origin of the stone and its name. The ancient Greek goddess Amethys fell in love with Dionysus, the god of wine, but she did not share his feelings. Dionysus was so inflamed by the object of his admiration that passion overshadowed his head, and he tried to use force. The goddess was saved from the hands of Dionysus by Artemis, turning her into a luxurious white stone. An annoyed Dionysus poured wine on the stone, which is why it acquired such a rare shade.

Properties of the stone

Like any quartz, amethyst is a hard mineral. On the Mohs scale, its hardness is 7 and its density is 2.6 g/cm3. The density of amethyst exceeds that of steel and glass, which is used to determine its authenticity. Natural amethyst will not be scratched if you run a knife or a piece of glass over it. Amethyst has the shine of glass and reflects beautifully due to the pyramidal shape of its crystal lattice.

The main color of the stone is purple, but it can have different shades: more delicate or rich, violet, lilac, and even slightly purple. The reason for the change in the color of the mineral is the difference in the ratio between the inclusions of manganese and iron ions. Such inclusions enter the crystalline structure of the mineral, thereby violating its ideality. Purple stones are considered the most beautiful, although amethysts can also come in rarer colors, such as deep purple, soft pink or deep red.

Processed amethyst

Amethyst can lose its color when exposed to ultraviolet light, and when heated to high temperatures - up to 250 degrees Celsius; when cooled, the color only partially returns, but ceases to be so rich.

One of the varieties of rare shades is green amethyst. This stone also has another name - prasolite. It is very rare, mined only in Brazil. We value it among jewelers for its wide processing capabilities. Despite the fact that it is quite rare, its price is not that high. Often the stone can have various shades of green and have inclusions, which makes it even more beautiful and unique.

A rarer variety of amethyst is black amethyst. Such amethysts are also found only in one country - Uruguay. They take a long time to form—over millions of years. Unlike green amethyst, this stone is expensive. It is believed to have unique properties and is able to remove stress and radiation.

Amethyst

Amethyst stone is a clear variety of quartz and its color ranges from pale to dark purple. This is a very beautiful, durable, versatile mineral that was already known in Ancient Egypt. The warning of the ancient Sumerian priests is known: amethyst is capable of inducing love for the giver even in a situation if the one who accepted the gift was previously in love with another. He has the ability to “forget” old love and open his heart to a new one. In Rome, the mineral amethyst was called the “blessed stone”, which brought good luck, peace and blessings, calmed nerves and settled disputes. The first Christians wore rings with this stone; later amethysts shone in the jewelry of high clergy. In the Middle Ages it was called, after its essence, the “apostle’s stone.” Amethyst personifies sincerity and sincerity, security and tranquility, and according to Eastern legends - happiness, prosperity and optimism. This is always a great gift for loved ones, it gives energy, drives away bad impressions and protects against evil fate.

The legend about the sobering effect of amethyst on people is explained simply: if you drink wine from an amethyst glass, no one can see how diluted it is with water. Sometimes you come across minerals where both amethyst and citrine zones are present; such stones are called ametrines.

A variety of quartz with a very unusual green color is called “prasiolite.” Most often it is called “green amethyst”, because. An emerald green color can also be given to amethyst when it is calcined at the required temperature. In nature, transparent green crystals are found only in the Brazilian Moctezuma deposit (Minas Gerais state). In appearance, prasiolite resembles beryl, peridot, and tourmaline.

Color: light to dark purple, violet-red.

Chemistry: color is provided by an admixture of iron. A transparent translucent mineral with a glassy sheen.

Hardness: 7.

Prevalence:

Brazil is the main supplier of amethysts. This stone is also mined in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, and India. Mining is carried out in Burma, Japan, China, Korea, and Armenia. Russian amethyst minerals are mined in the Urals, Yakutia, and the Kola Peninsula. Large deposits of amethyst are found in Africa, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and the state of Zaire. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington has a cut amethyst weighing 1,362 carats from South America (Brazil).

Processing: cutting, cabochons, engraving, stone carving.

Similar minerals: spinel, fluorite, rubellite.

Care: ultrasonic treatment.

What determines the cost of amethyst?

Several decades ago, purple amethyst was mined only in Russia, so its price reached the cost of natural emerald and ruby. Not so long ago, a deposit rich in such stones was discovered in Brazil, so the pricing policy has changed. And although amethyst has unique qualities, its price does not reach the most expensive stones.

The cost depends on the color of the mineral. More expensive samples have a bright, rich color. Defects in the material also directly affect the value of this gemstone. Materials that come from volcanic rocks are more resistant to fading and discoloration, and therefore are more valuable.

Average prices for amethyst today are as follows:

• 3 carats, size 32x15 mm - 3100-3200 rubles;
• 14 carats, size 19x12 mm - 3500-3700 rubles;
• 51 carats, size 38x33 m - 6300-6500 rubles.

Few large exhibits of amethyst were found; the standard size of the stone rarely exceeds 10 cm. The US national collection contains a stone weighing 1,300 carats. The largest nugget in history was found in northern Finland, weighing 65 kg.

There are several types of stone cutting. The stone has sufficient hardness to be processed and enhance its natural beauty. Faceted stones are found in the shape of triangle, pear, square and heart shapes. The most expensive types have a mixed brilliant or step cut.

What does natural stone look like?

To check the origin of a stone, you need to understand what it is and what it looks like.

Amethyst is a valuable, most beautiful quartz variety, lilac quartz.

The mineral is easy to distinguish by its violet color: crystals from delicate lilac to black, with a reddish or bluish tint. It is not for nothing that the second name of the gem is stone violet.

There is green amethyst (or prasiolite), but it does not hit the shelves.

The stone is transparent or translucent (the second type is more expensive).

Magic properties

The stone is used to relieve stress, improve the functioning of the central nervous system and thyroid gland. It has a positive effect on the right hemisphere of the brain, on the pituitary gland. Regulates blood circulation and helps cope with mental disorders.

Helps increase intelligence. It is believed that it prevents the development of defects and normalizes speech, eliminating its defects. It is used as an antidote for poisoning, in the treatment of skin diseases, headaches and insomnia. By drinking water infused with this precious stone, many try to get rid of the harmful habit of alcohol abuse.

Amethyst reduces anxiety and pain, helps control and softens evil thoughts. Helps to establish peace and complete relaxation during meditation. Makes a person more peaceful and increases the depth of understanding.

Amethyst is used to win competitions, and this stone under the pillow helps to have good dreams. As a talisman, it promotes the growth of prudence, increases vigilance, and helps establish contact with superiors.

Amethyst is most suitable for Pisces and Gemini. Emphasizes all the best qualities of Aquarius, and makes Aries more peaceful.

How to wear amethyst jewelry correctly:

• silver enhances the magical properties of the stone;
• gold does not harmonize well with amethyst, it suppresses all its abilities and positive properties, the effect is neutralized in combination with other stones, for example, cubic zirconia;
• jewelry is not intended for daily wear, as it has the ability to accumulate negative energy;
• You shouldn’t wear them with clothes made of bright colors either;
• Men are not recommended to wear rings with this stone on the ring finger of their right hand, and women - on their left.

This stone has aggregates called drusen. Drusen are tightly pressed, fused with edges or base, diamond-shaped crystals on a substrate. This decor item is very popular; it carries the positive energy of the stone. The owners keep them in a visible place so that they clear the room of negativity.

Amethyst Jewelry

They can be used to protect against computer radiation by placing amethyst druses in front of the monitor. A conglomerate of this material can also be used to remove energy from other stones and metals. Having such decorations in the room helps to get rid of negative energy in the house in just one night.

How much does an amethyst stone cost - price per gram

Amethyst itself is a fairly common stone, but gems of exceptional quality are quite rare. This explains the wide range of prices: rich stones of deep purple color with a red undertone cost tens of times more than small stones of light colors.

Factors affecting cost

The cost of amethyst, like any stone, is determined by objective and subjective factors. Subjective are those that depend on the seller assessing the natural beauty of the stone. But for the most part, the price of gems consists of precise characteristics, including:

• type of stone cut;
• uniform color distribution;
• depth and saturation of color;
• amount of impurities and transparency;
• no defects (chips, cracks, scratches).

Professional gemologists can give an amethyst value based on these and other characteristics available to the expert eye.

Cost of raw stone

On sale you can find both processed and unprocessed stones. The most expensive unprocessed nuggets are found in Russia and Brazil - their color is very rich, which is why they cost more. At the same time, the Ural amethyst is considered the standard.

On the Russian jewelry market, high-quality amethyst costs from 2,500 rubles per gram.

Druses and brushes

Druses and brushes are clusters of amethysts growing from a common base. Small specimens can cost from 1,000 rubles per piece, larger ones - from 1,000 rubles per 1 kilogram. Thus, the price of giant drusen can be quite impressive, since they can weigh over a hundred kilograms.

Clusters of exceptional quality stones in the form of brushes weighing from 100 grams to several kilograms can be valued at 2,000 rubles per 1 kilogram.

Processed stones

The price of stones after their jewelry processing can be tens of times higher than the prices mentioned above. Cutting improves the aesthetic properties of stones and reveals their full potential.

Products with amethysts may well cost several hundred thousand rubles. Their price is determined by the design of the jewelry, the composition of the frame, and the presence of inlays from other precious stones.

The cost of rings and earrings with high quality amethyst, as a rule, starts from 100,000 rubles. But there is no upper threshold for the cost of such jewelry.

You will find exclusive jewelry with precious stones, including amethyst, in fantasy and classic designs in the Maxim Demidov catalog.

Rules of care

The stone has some features, they are dictated by its nature, because amethyst is quartz and the same is characteristic of it. Rules for caring for products containing this stone:

• During storage, avoid exposure to sunlight.
• High temperatures can change the color of quartz.
• Tarnished stone should be washed with a solution of soap and water and wiped with a cloth. You can take it to a jewelry workshop for cleaning.
• It is better to avoid contact of the mineral with household chemicals, alkalis and acids.

Synthetic or natural?

The jewelry market is dominated by artificially created amethysts. This is an intermediate stage between natural stone and synthetic stone; a fake is considered conditionally. The price of copies of comparable parameters does not differ much.

Amethyst

Their advantages: it is impossible to visually distinguish them from a natural crystal, they are unpretentious in use and care, they are indifferent to the sun, and constant wearing does not harm jewelry.

They do not work as a magical or healing artifact, but are suitable for all zodiac signs.

You can choose jewelry with artificial and natural stones. To please yourself with some whenever you want, to leave others for special occasions, passing them on as a family treasure.

How to distinguish from a fake?

Although amethyst is not expensive, fakes made from it can be found even in well-known jewelry chains. Instead, they most often sell: plastic, glass, and other cheaper minerals. There are a number of parameters by which amethyst can be identified by eye.

1. Color. The shades of the natural mineral are slightly muted. The color is not even, you may see bubbles or small cracks inside the stone. A fake will have a perfectly smooth surface and color.
2. Warm the stone in your hands. The fake will quickly heat up, while the natural stone will remain cold for a long time.
3. Dip the stone into the water. Amethyst has one peculiarity: when it gets into water, its edges begin to turn pale. Even artificially grown minerals cannot fake this effect.
4. Try scratching the glass. Natural stone is strong enough and can easily do this, unlike plastic or glass.

Start of activity (date): 04/17/2020 08:31:00

Who is amethyst stone suitable for?

Amethyst is considered the main stone of Aquarius, Sagittarius, Capricorn, and it is better if it is a stone of a rare pink shade. The effect of the gem is enhanced if the birthday contains 3, 12, 21, 30 . Stones of purple and lilac color are especially suitable for Aries and Leo as signs that are characterized by increased emotionality and frequent loss of control over their emotions. Scorpio and Virgo should pay attention to the Black King - an amethyst of rare black color, giving peace and good luck, subduing the egoism characteristic of these signs. Lilac amethyst quartz is for those in need of business development and success in Cancer and Pisces.

Amethyst is strictly not recommended for Taurus

As a talisman, any amethyst ring is best worn on the ring finger : for women - on the left hand, for men - on the right.